Matter of Pride
by StSE
Summary: Most mechs would be thrilled to be assigned guard duty over a couple of Decepticon femmes - not Sunstreaker, it's his worst nightmare! No OCs. 'CadeXSunstreaker. 'CadeXFrenzy. M for language and very crass humor. Sequel to 'Matter of Survival'.
1. Chapter 1

****Matter of Pride****

"Quit that!" Sunstreaker growled as the sparklings poked at his radio controls. He wasn't the type to enjoy letting anyone climb inside him. They might smudge his leather or spill something. Especially young drone mechs like these ones. They were barely out of quarantine as it was – being properly well-behaved was a whole other ballgame for sure.

"He, he, give them some travelin' music. It keeps them he, he, he, entertained!" Frenzy-Jazz snickered as she pulled up besides him. Her small daughters bounced all over her seats in a chaotic rendition of some type of human dance.

"He probably doesn't have much of a sound system in there. It's not something he can polish you know," Barricade snickered as she drove along right behind them. The few drone sparklings riding within her were having a blast on her laptop. It had been a smart idea to load a ton of virtual games like Halo on it. Perhaps the only good idea those pathetic human teens had ever come up with…

Sunstreaker snorted in disgust. "I've got a sound system that would put both of you to shame!" he shot back.

"He, he, he, prove it," Frenzy-Jazz challenged. Considering that she was in Jazz's chassis – it was indeed a heck of a challenge at that. For Jazz had always prided himself at having the newest and finest of sound systems in order to play his beloved collection of music that he'd downloaded and saved during his intergalactic travels…

Not the least bit willing to ever back down from a challenge, Sunstreaker's console lit up. Much to the glee of the drone sparklings within him, who eagerly began poking at his radio buttons again. When he didn't tell them to stop, their optics beamed as they explored the fascinating noises that came through the speakers, flooding the car's interior with fascinating sound waves…. Soon, they were head banging away in total abandon.

"Decent, but Frenzy's are superior," the cruiser noted dryly.

If he'd been in bot mode, Sunstreaker would've so rolled his optics. He'd been stuck with these two obnoxious con femmes for just a few day cycles now – and he was already totally sick of them. Why in the hell had he agreed to this boring duty?!? All they did was move on every night, find a good spot to hide and wait out the day – and do it again the next night. To top it off, Frenzy decided where they went! Grumbling under his breath, the yellow Stingray slammed his dental plates shut and drove on in sullen silence, wondering if the chance to date Bumblebee was worth all of this….

"The horizon is brightening," Barricade noted a few hours later. This was their indicator that they should start looking for a safe place to rest for the daylight hours. With the chaos beginning and Decepticon mechs back on Earth – it was not smart for two deserters who happened to have been hidden femmes to be caught out in the open…. It would be a horribly slow death for them if they were caught by their former comrades.

Frenzy scanned with her long range sensors, at the same type she used the humans GPS system to give her a wider map. "There is an abandoned mining facility three clicks south." It seemed like a good place. Cross-referencing through the internet told her the general specs of such a facility. Large metal buildings and lots of room would make a good stopover for them and the restless sparklings… And there would be no humans to deal with either – even better!

"There's no road south," Sunstreaker snorted.

Frenzy and Barricade paid him no heed, as a single unit they turned off the paved back road and began to bounce over the rough terrain as they headed to their chosen destination.

"But the rocks will scratch my paintjob!" he whined. He stopped on the road, not quite willing to take that chance.

"Then he, he, he, transform and walk it - you trash compactor!" Frenzy snickered. Revving her engine, she spun a circle in the dust, making sure to kick gravel up at him.

"Hey! Watch it – you bitch!" Throwing his doors open, Sunstreaker waited impatiently for the two drone sparklings to eagerly tumble out. Transforming in a blur, he grabbed their hands before either one could scramble off very far. "Come on. You can run around in the building!" he ordered, not even caring about their feelings. Why Optimus had wanted the drone sparklings rounded up and raised as mechs – was beyond his understanding. They were just half-mechs. Mechs that were sparked with a mere fragment of the AllSpark…. Thus, they'd never be able to breed. To help the species rebuild its population…

Pulling him along, the two little drones didn't really even listen to him anyways. They'd already figured out that the two adult femmes were more fun. They seemed to like them. They'd play with them. So wherever Barricade and Frenzy went – they wanted to go too!

As the outlines of big dilapidated buildings came into view in the chilled morning air – the two drones chattered excitedly in their indecipherable sparkling beeps. The structures looked so big! They'd have plenty of room to run and play with their peers! As the yellow mech finally released his hold on them, they ran towards the open door, tumbling over each other in their rush…

"Drones Three and Six are a bit clumsy," Barricade noted in a matter-of-fact tone. Finding a comfortable place next to some rusted machinery, she sat down. Her optics caught the shimmer of yellow armor as the mech closed the door. Patting the floor next to her, she gave him a suggestive wink. Predictably, Sunstreaker just shot her his standard disgust-filled look and found a spot as far away from her as he physically could.

Frenzy snickered as she watched from the side. Finishing up her checks of what remained of the windows, she told the youngsters that they were free to play – within certain parameters of course. As she walked towards the other two adult Cybertronians, she swerved her path to take her closer to Sunstreaker. She was going to make him let Barricade give him some attention – and she had a full-proof plan in doing so.

"What do YOU want?" Sunstreaker snorted as the silver femme stopped in front of him. He was sick and tired of everything to do with this mission! The constant driving on the road night-in and night-out was exhausting to say the least. And the freagin' dust!!! It was all over him again! Without even thinking about it, he pulled out his cloth and cleaning wax – even as he glared up in annoyance at the freak.

"He, he, turn around for a moment," Frenzy-Jazz ordered with a nod.

"Why? So you can stick another 'shoot me' sign on my tail pipes? I think not!" Sunstreaker turned his attention back to his armor cleaning, pointedly giving the femme the cold shoulder again. This had worked well so far. She'd usually shoot some insult and then walk off.

This time she didn't. "He, he, he, Why would I do that – when the dust is so thick on your armor that I can just write it with my little digit?" Tauntingly, she raised one of her long digits and wrote the two words in the air.

"It is not!"

"Is too, he, he, you're now tan on your aft – not yellow!" Frenzy made a point of scanning him with critical optics. "And he, he, he, you look better this way. So keep the dust if you like!"

With a derisive huff, Sunstreaker hopped up onto his tired peds and tried to look at his aft in order to so prove the freak wrong. It didn't work very well, since mechs weren't built to turn their torso that far. Grumbling in disgust, he began to search the old factory for something he could use in place of a mirror.

Snickering mischievously, Frenzy went over and lay down across Barricade's lap. "He, he, clean off my back side would ya? Dust is a he, he, bitch around here."

Realizing exactly what her fellow femme was up to, Barricade whipped out her cleaning supplies and began to follow her orders. Without the slightest of refusals either. She kept her optics on the happy sparklings running amuck – but out of the corner of them she watched the mech. Her amusement increasing as his quest for a mirror went unfulfilled… He was such a gorgeous mech – unfortunately with quite the matching ego. She could deal with the ego though, if she could eventually manage to catch his golden yellow aft. A smug smile turned the corners of her lip components as she listened to the sounds of his continued search. He was very entertaining to pick on as well as to look at! It did seem to make the current situation of playing hide-and-seek with their former comrades – somewhat endurable.

"You're fucking lying!" he snarled as he stormed up to the two femmes. Granted, he had no idea if Frenzy was being honest or not – but considering the fact that she was a con – she had to be lying. Just HAD to!!! He just couldn't stand the thought of her actually being honest about his backside being that utterly disgusting!

Barricade grinned up at him, her digits running the towel over Frenzy's now-gleaming backside. "Those avian feces blend right in," she snickered, "with all the rust that is showing up on your tail pipes. You really should spend more time on maintenance. If you don't – you'll just fall to pieces."

"He, he, might make him easier to stand if we only had to listen to half of him though." Frenzy glanced up from her prone position, her optics gleaming in the gloomy interior of the old building. "Yeah sucker, he, he, he, let yourself get a nice layer of rust. I like you better this way!"

To their great amusement, this caused the mech's optics to widen in absolute horror. He contorted himself into strange angles as he tried to wipe the mess off with his hands. His meta filled with a horrifying vision of his backside covered in rust, dust and feces!

Frenzy yawned lazily as she sat up; enjoying the meta game she was playing with the chauvinistic pig of a mech. Although she wished Optimus had assigned Ironhide to help protect them, she more than understood his logic in assigning the ex-gladiator. Not only could Sunstreaker actually keep up with her and 'Cade in a flat-out race – Prime was also hopeful they'd force him into mating with the cruiser. But now that Frenzy was pregnant, the two femmes had agreed that 'Cade had better wait a few weeks. This way they could help each other deliver and quarantine the sparklings if need-be.

And this waiting period also gave them more time to wear down Sunstreaker's resolve NOT to mate with Barricade. Sure, it'd be a blast to chain his tail pipes down and force the matter – but it'd be even MORE entertaining to totally dupe the mech into willingly doing the deed. And Barricade had more than just a passing interest in the gorgeous mech as well. So here they were, getting him right where it hurt the most – his pride over his paint job! The manipulation technique was working so nicely too…

"Lay back down, I missed a smudge," Barricade told her and patted her leg. She pointedly ignored the golden-yellow mech standing over them. For some reason, she just knew that this treatment would annoy him even more than her continual sexual harassment. Perhaps the cold shoulder routine WAS the way to go in order to catch his spark?

"She can slaggin' wait! I'm a mess!" Sunstreaker couldn't stand it any longer. His entire chassis felt totally grimy now. Not even caring that it was Barricade who would be cleaning his armor - he rudely shoved the Jazz look-a-like out of the way and plopped himself down across her legs. "Get it OFF ME!!!" he ordered.

"I'm not done with Frenzy," the cruiser retorted as she pretended to be trying to pry the Autobot off her lap. Her mischievous smirk told another story though…Granted, Sun couldn't see her expression since he was face plate down in her lap.

"Who cares about HER. She's ugly! My paint job… The bird shit is going to eat right through it!" the yellow mech curled an arm around her leg, unwilling to be pried off of her. She just HAD to clean him off! He couldn't do that side of himself – and Side's wasn't around. True, she was the obnoxious femme who'd been chasing him around – but personal hygiene superceded EVERYTHING right now! Even his repulsion over her even touching him!

"He, he, he, at least I'm not some egotistical piece of slag mech!" Frenzy burned back. True, she'd started all of this TO get him in Barricade's lap – but she had to be herself or he'd realize he'd been duped. Mechs were so freagin' stupid!

Sunstreaker turned his head, laying the side of his helm on the cruiser's leg armor so that he could look Frenzy's way. "If you actually looked GOOD – then you'd freagin' have something TO have an ego about," he retorted.

Snorting in disgust, Frenzy spat on him, "You're the only one who he, he, he – thinks you look good! He, he, he, or haven't you noticed?" Turning, she stomped off to play with the sparklings a bit. This was how their arguments always ended. With her throwing one last burn and marching off – a perfect act this time as well…

"Fucking wench," he muttered under his breath. Setting his helm back down against the leg armor beneath him, he shifted his chassis to get more comfortable. "I'm ready."

Barricade let out a fake snort. True, this is where she wanted this mech – but she wasn't about to let him off that easy. Nope, Decepticon femmes just weren't the fluffy type. They made the objects of their desire – the objects of their ridicule as well. So, true to form, she was going to make him more than uncomfortable. "Ready for what – mating?" she taunted, while her hands drifted along his backside.

"Not in a million orbit cycles," came the predictable reply, "just get the grime off of me!"

"Say 'please' – and maybe I'll think about it." She was enjoying this game of manipulation. Perhaps she should learn more of these tricks from the hacker femme?

Smacking the digits away that were slipping in to explore his hip servos, Sunstreaker snorted with contempt. "I don't say 'please' to anyone! Now, just do it! And quit that – you KNOW I'm not going to slag you EVER!"

Removing her hands, 'Cade unexpectedly kicked up with both knees. In a blur of motion, she spun around on her tail pipes just as his weight left her. With an evil smirk, she watched him as he fell. He'd better learn to treat her with some respect – or he could remain a half-spotless and half-filthy mech for the entirety of their mission!

The startled mech popped up in the air, slamming down on the rubble-strewn floor with a thud. "What the frag?!?" he snarled as he jumped up and looked down at his chassis. His front side was now almost as dirty as what he envisioned his backside as being. Not to mention the fact that he now had scratches all over his hood! "You whore! Just LOOK at what you've done to me!!!" he bellowed in rage. Kicking out at the cruiser, he proceeded to initiate a full-on fight between them.

The sparklings squealed in a mixture of fear and excitement as the sounds of battle filled the large building. Running to Frenzy, they climbed onto her for protection. Their chatters blended right in with the curses and punches now flying between Barricade and Sunstreaker.

Sidestepping to avoid the tumbling forms of the now wrestling pair, Frenzy made her way to a wall. Leaning against it, she stroked her digits soothingly along the various sparklings that were gripping her armor tightly; like some mother possum with her batch of offspring gripping her fur. "Don't worry little ones. This is why Decepticon femmes are superior to Autobot – we don't put up with mechs and their bullshit," she chuckled. She had to shift her position again as Sunstreaker threw Barricade through the wall at the very spot she'd just been standing.

With a snarl, 'Cade stood up and shook herself off. Pieces of the rusting wall flew into the building as she pounded back through it with her fists. Energon gushed from her busted lip component, making her already devilish appearance even that much more menacing. She rushed the former gladiator without a second thought.

Caught a little off guard, Sunstreaker found himself thrown against the opposite wall. Cursing as he stood back up, he glared at the advancing femme. "I don't care what Prime said. You're fucking femmes and you do what we say!" With a clang of steel-on-steel, he met the femme head-on. Their arms locked once more as they wrestled each other for dominance. He was sick and tired of handling femmes with kid-gloves on. And by Primus – he was going to show them who was boss!

But he had spoken without first thinking about the consequences. And the consequence was that now he had two adult Decepticon femmes pissed at him – which for a mech of the same size as them, who had no mech to back him up – was NOT a wise position to be in. Even Optimus himself might've been slightly concerned about escalating the fight to this point. Sunstreaker on the other hand, was so caught up in his own sense of superiority, that he simply had no qualms about voicing his true feelings about the position of the femmes.

Her optics narrowing, Frenzy ordered the sparklings off of her and marched towards the unwary mech. "Fuck you mech – YOU do as WE say!" she snarled.

Before he could react to the new threat, Sunstreaker's chassis was suddenly gripped by a magnetic field. A magnetic field that was so powerful – he was totally helpless against it. It peeled him from Barricade's grasp, carrying him through the air like a helium balloon. He grunted in pain as he was smashed against one of the heavy metal support struts. The sound of his armor being dented and scratched filling him with renewed rage.

His rage was short-lived though. For his punishment was far from over. Again and again he was smashed against the support - Until the increasing level of pain overcame his rage… He fought against the magnetic field. His actions becoming more frenzied as more of his energon dripped to the floor with every second. "LET ME GO! YOU FUCKING… UGHHH… AKKKKK…. NGSSSSTT…. BITCH!" he screamed. His sentences split up by grunts as Frenzy-Jazz directed her powerful electromagnetic field so that he was pummeled against the immovable beam of steel.

Minutes passed as the aft-whooping continued. Frenzy more concerned with proving her 'leadership' in the Decepticon fashion – than Sunstreaker's well being. Or even his continued functioning for that matter. His ability to vocalize slowed as his chassis weakened. The ground beneath the beam now wet with his life-sustaining energon. Still, the femme continued her assault. Her meta overcome by the emotion of revenge. Sunstreaker was no longer seen as the Autobot he was. All Frenzy saw him as – was a mech. And mechs had used, abused, controlled and destroyed her sex for far too long! Everything she hated was now embodied by a single unfortunate mech, and her pent-up rage had overcome her logic…

"Frenzy, cease this. He is punished," Barricade said as she walked over and stood next to her leader. The anger had faded from her optics, replaced by a growing concern over the well-being of the mech. He was becoming far too weak. Far too damaged…

Frenzy didn't seem to hear her words. She continued to bash the mech into the beam.

"Frenzy, cease this!" the cruiser turned to the silver femme; her request becoming more insistent now.

Once again, her words went unheard.

With a snarl, 'Cade resorted to the Decepticon way of getting another's attention. Smashing her fist into Frenzy's face plate, she not only got her attention but also shocked the silver femme into deactivating her electromagnets. Spinning away from her, the cruiser ran over to where the mech fell. Kneeling beside him in the energon-created mud, she checked his condition - Which wasn't very good…

"How dare you hit me! I'm your leader – or do I need to whoop you again?!?" Frenzy snarled as she rubbed her stinging lip component.

"You were hyperfocused. I had to – or you would've off lined him," 'Cade replied in the same level tone she had once used when speaking to Megatron. Sliding her arms under the battered golden-yellow mech, she picked him up, alarmed at the fact that he was now unconscious. "You must repair him," she said as she turned and faced Frenzy.

Frenzy turned her back on her. "Fuck him. He's just a chauvinistic pig. Let him suffer!" Not waiting for 'Cade's reply, she gathered up the sparklings and led them to one of the other dilapidated buildings.

Left alone with the mech, Barricade shook her head in dismay. She'd have to stabilize him then. They couldn't afford to lose him. If nothing else, there was the potential that the other mechs would be off lined in the current conflict. This would leave Sunstreaker as the only remaining breeding-able mech. Since he wasn't directly related to her, Frenzy or Ratchet's two young daughters – he would be able to continue on the species if need be. Species preservation was one of the primary objectives of the femmes now, so it was of practical necessity to keep him alive. Regardless of how much a chauvinistic pig he was!

Going over to an old conveyer belt, she kicked off the rusting slag that once were machines off of it. With more gentleness than could ever be expected of a Decepticon, she laid him down. Stripping him of most of his armor, she found the bleeders that were leaking out his remaining energon. With a roll of duct tape that she kept in her own first aid battle field repair kit – she began to stop the leaks.

After an exhaustive hour or so of work, she had his internal systems reasonably patched up. A repair that would've taken Frenzy or Ratchet a mere 15 minutes to have done… But Barricade only knew basic first aid. Unlike Frenzy, she had not rebuilt herself over-and-over. Her mother femme had rebuilt her during the femme annihilation. Had rebuilt her into such a ghastly mech – so that she'd never needed to disguise herself further.

With an exhausted sigh, the cruiser sat down next to the armorless mech. Her optics drifting down to the pile of dented and crumpled armor that the mech had so prided himself on. Now it was barely recognizable as armor – much less anything he could be proud of… Briefly, she wondered how the egotistical mech was going to take the news once he reactivated.

Sunstreaker groaned as he rebooted. Every linkage and servo throbbed in pain. He'd never taken a beating this bad before! Alarms rang throughout his meta. His energon levels were critically low now. If he didn't refuel, he'd soon shutdown again. Clicking on his optics, he whispered 'energon' even before he could focus.

He felt an arm go under him. Felt himself get propped up against a femme's armored side. His sensors felt too sensitive. The slightest pressure was uncomfortable. He ran internal diagnostics even as he felt a press against his lips components. Opening his mouth, he swallowed the warm energon. His optics brightening to full focus as his scan results came back… Weakly tensing in apprehension as he realized he was completely unarmored…. Completely naked… Completely vulnerable… He choked slightly in shock.

"Swallow," Barricade simply ordered. Pulling the side of the cube back a bit, she waited for the choking mech to swallow before putting it back to his lips. It was easy to guess at what he had startled about. "Your armor took heavy damage. It must be repaired prior to reattachment." Her tone was flat and emotionless. This was a Decepticon's way of showing some concern, since they had no concept of true love or care.

Sunstreaker's optics narrowed slightly even as he drank. So Frenzy had damaged his perfect armor when she had so rudely butted into their little spat?!? He was so gonna give that bitch a piece of his freagin' meta when he was repaired. But wait – who was going to repair him?? His core plummeted, for he knew who was the true 'medic' in their group – it was none other than the very freak who'd caused the damage in the first place. Primus, what the hell was he going to do now?!?

"It is pointless to consider retaliatory actions," the cruiser said. Again, she seemed to instinctively know just what direction his meta was going. Since he had consumed enough of the energon to keep him going for a little while, she nodded to him as she set the cube to the side. It would be wise to keep him too weak to do anything more than verbally pitch a fit for a while.

"And why is that?" he snorted, his hands balling into fists as he imagined the satisfaction of feeling some silver armor crunching underneath them.

"She has proven her dominance. She is our leader," 'Cade replied with a shrug.

Sunstreaker growled and tried to sit up. He was still too weak though, so he collapsed back down against her side. "Autobots don't follow a mech just because he beats them in a fight. Through a back-handed sneak attack by the way!" he muttered angrily.

The cruiser wasn't phased in the least. These same reactions to authority were common in the con ranks. That's why their leaders had to continually beat rebellion down. "It is the Decepticon way – we are Decepticon femmes. You are assigned to us, under Frenzy's authority. Thus, you follow our policies."

"Over my sparkless chassis," he spat.

Barricade rolled her optics. Standing up, she glared down at him as he fell back to the table with a loud thud. "If you continue on in this manner, you shall obtain your wish." She bent down, her optics locking with his in all seriousness. "And we shall not even think twice about leaving your empty chassis to rust away into nothingness. Only those whom conform and have strength shall survive. To teach and lead the next generation."

"You wouldn't dare." No one left a mech behind! It was against their entire theology.

Standing back up, the femme smirked at him. "Prime's only objective in life now is to protect the next generation and those of us capable of producing them. The loss of a mech in the process is a miniscule set back. Easily explained as a loss in the line of duty."

"That'd be a slaggin' lie – and you know it!" With great effort, he weakly propped himself up on an elbow, grimacing with the discomfort of bare circuits scraping rough metal.

"Would it? Your duty is to help protect us, which means you must get along with us. Inability to do this, which might indeed cause your off lining, is indeed a loss in the line of duty." She crossed her arms, giving him her most smug look.

These femmes could twist facts and words around as thoroughly and Ironhide could shred a building in a multitude of ways! But facing his own potential demise and realizing that not even a tear would be shed over it – made the mech pause and actually think for once before he spoke. He was trapped. Trapped into getting along with these obnoxious cons. And there was absolutely nothing he could do to change that! If he left them and rejoined the main Autobot offensive – then he'd be dishonored for disobeying direct orders. Ironhide would never let him even so much as LOOK in Bumblebee's direction then!

Worse yet, if he left this guard position – and the femmes and sparklings were captured – he'd most likely be disbanded from the Autobots. He gnawed on his lower lip component as he went over all of his options. None of which he enjoyed in the least.

"Understand Sunstreaker, we feel as much displeasure with your attitude – as you seem to be with ours. We are all trapped in this mission." Barricade's voice went very low as she spoke. Her words voicing his own thoughts to a tee….

He arched an optic ridge at that parallel. But how could THEY be displeased with HIM??? He was perfection! Both as a warrior – and as a mech! Were they so into ghastly looking Decepticons that they couldn't see him for the perfection that he was?!? He thought back to the fact that Frenzy had shown preference for Ironhide over Optimus. Sure, she had mated the leader, but only because it was contracted. And she had made that quite apparent to everyone. If he had been in her chassis, he would've preferred the better looking and calmer Optimus over the rough and rogue Ironhide any day cycle. So perhaps his theory was right on the mark? Perhaps these two annoying femmes needed to be shown what a real mech was.

A weight lifted off of his door wings as he came to that conclusion. He now had a specific purpose to aim for. He would accept Frenzy's so-called leadership – for now. But he would teach the pair about real mechs – Autobot mechs! And why they were so superior to any Decepticon mech! Well, in every way other than interface that is. He still wasn't about to touch either of them with a twenty click crankshaft!

He actually smiled at her then. "Good, at least we understand each other then." Shifting his weight, he attempted to reach for the energon cube that was just out of his grasp. "Give me a hand – would you?"

Cocking her head, she gave him a curious look. His sudden change in demeanor was suspicious to say the least. "Why?"

"I can't very well start repainting my armor after you two fix it – when I'm this depleted," he snorted. His sarcasm was much less than it had been though.

She came closer. "You accept her leadership over you?" she asked in disbelief.

"Well, you're right. We're all stuck in this together now aren't we?" He wiggled his outstretched digits imploringly.

"You accept a femme over you in rank?" She still wasn't quite buying his sudden change. Every servo felt a scam.

He shrugged dismissively. "If I don't – I'm either off lined or I face senior Autobot officers who won't be happy." He gave her a wink. "It's not like you're really superior to me."

Ok, that sounded more like him. So, he'd finally come to the realization that he had to accept a femme leader – even though he still felt like he was superior. It was a start at least. Reaching down, she grabbed the cube and handed it to him…

----

Sunstreaker grumbled quietly as he snuggled up to the warm chassis next to him. Leave it to the freak to decide that they needed some defrag shifts before they would start repairing his armor. Probably trying to teach him a lesson or something! He thought in disgust. Frenzy was more than aware of the issues faced by an armorless mech.

Armor served not only to protect one's circuits, but to also insulate. Without it, he couldn't maintain normal temperature for performance in the high altitude of this mountainous terrain. It was reasonably manageable in the warmer daylight hours, but the temperature made a precipitous drop the second the sun disappeared over the horizon.

This left him to rev his engine to maximum rpms in a desperate effort to generate enough excess heat to keep surrounding circuits from freezing. He couldn't maintain the effort. They all knew it. So Barricade had pulled a large heavy tarp from her trunk and had offered to allow him to snuggle tight against her and use her excess heat. He was sure that she had an overt agenda – but he had no other viable option to choose from.

So here he was, snuggling up against the femme he found so repulsive as if they were lovers or something. He didn't voice his true opinion on the matter though. Doing so might negate a few of the gains he had made that afternoon. He thought they were beginning to 'like' him, which was the first stage in proving to them that he was ten times the mech any of the Decepticons were! He'd just kept his mouth shut and his comments to himself. In fact, he had even managed to get the femmes to include him in their card game. In his meta, this was a major victory towards his new 'personal' goal.

"Here," the cruiser said. She lifted the tarp up a little bit, making it obvious that she was inviting him to press tight against her core heat.

Grinding his dental plates together in an effort not to spout off his thoughts and blow her off, Sunstreaker merely nodded and did so. That creepy squeamish feeling flowed through his nets as his naked circuits made contact with her smooth warm armor. His retracted transfer would've retracted further if it could, as the unit rubbed against her. Primus, it was bad enough for a mech to do this WITH his protective armor on – it was absolutely horrid to do this naked!

Deciding that he'd better turn away from her – or he'd spew right in her face plate; Sunstreaker did so. He sighed in relief as his backside pressed against her now.


	2. Chapter 2

****Matter of Pride part 2****

"I concur. He doesn't act like a normal fertile mech," Barricade replied. Her wheels crunched the gravel, leaving a trail of dust to rise slowly up in the humid air behind her.

"I am NOT a drone!" Sunstreaker snarled. He revved his engine to a slightly higher rpm for the briefest of moments; Just enough to kick up some of the gravel onto the cruiser behind him. A slight insult on his part, true – but he HAD to do something! He was getting sick of this astro hour long debate on if he was a drone or a full mech.

Frenzy-Jazz snickered; it was so fun to egg this mech on! And they were far from done with it. "A normal mech would've at LEAST self interfaced under those circumstances. Did you?"

He huffed under his breath. He was sick of this discussion concerning him spending an entire defrag cycle, naked, and pressed up against a femme – without getting turned on. But these freagin' femmes just wouldn't shut up about it! "I'm NOT a normal mech. I'm better than a normal mech. With more self control!"

With that, he flat out floored it, his wheels spinning for traction as he pulled away from the two femmes – much to the total glee of the two small drones riding within him. They rolled down his windows, taunting the femmes with middle digits raised high. "You tell them little guys!" he shouted. True, they were nothing but drone mechs. But at least he HAD some little mechs that sided with him!

"He, he, he – weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Frenzy flew by him. Her little daughters flipping them off as she did so…

"Fraggin' piece of slag! No one shows ME up!" The small drones shouting in excitement, Sunstreaker fell into the race.

Barricade just snickered as they left her in their dust. Both femmes knew darned well that Sunstreaker was indeed a full mech, but riling him up like this made the time pass faster. And they had a long time to stay in hiding…

"Aaaaa-eeeeeeeeeee!" "Faaaaaaaaasssstttteeeeeerrrr! Faaaaaasssssttterrrrrr!" the little femmes shouted as they banged on her consol, their optics wide in excitement. "He's catching up!" "Yeah! Catching up!"

Frenzy snickered as she slowly slightly. Not enough for the little sparklings to notice, but just enough for the yellow mech to get closer. "He, he, he – ya THINK you gonna catch me??? NOT!" she cackled. Red lining her engine, dust billowed up thickly behind her rear tires as she jumped forward. Totally coating the mech in a thick blanket of gray!

"You slaggin' piece of slag- I'm so gonna…" Sunstreaker snarled. Leaving the curving road, he spun through the high desert as he sought to cut ahead of her. "Here, load your weapons with some of these!" he ordered his little charges. They giggled mischievously as his glovebox opened – revealing a whole collection of multicolored little paint balls. "Yeah, that's it little guys – we're gonna coat those femmes real good aren't we?"

Busily jamming the little balls of colored liquid into their weapons, the pair of drones nodded their heads rapidly. Their optics gleaming as they watched the femmes flying down the road as they neared it… "Paint Paint Paint!!! Paint 'em good!" "Yeah paint 'em good!" they chimed.

Frenzy snickered hysterically as she watched the mech cutting across the terrain in much the same manner as Ironhide once had. Unlike the black mech, Sunstreaker wasn't built for it. Boy, were his shocks gonna hurt in the morning! She couldn't wait to hear his moaning and griping…. "So you think you're he, he, he an offroadster?" she taunted as he pulled alongside her.

"Now!" Sunstreaker's side window suddenly rolled down, two tiny drones hanging out of it like some old time mobster movie. The sound of machine gun fire filled the whistling wind flowing between the two racers. Thuds of impact joining in as paint balls connected with silver armor more often than not….

Locking up her brakes in shock, Frenzy laid down a hundred feet of thick black rubber on the road as she made the abrupt transition from 220 mph – to zero! The sparkling femmes shrieked in surprise as they crashed into her dashboard, nobody having bothered to even consider using seatbelts…. They tumbled out of her door as she threw it open while she spun. In a blur, Frenzy had transformed her weapon at the ready as she cursed… Her two daughters imitating her to the tee….

Spinning around, Sunstreaker flew at them, his little gunmen eagerly firing on the femmes as they passed them again… The trio were soon coated, helm to ped – in various brightly hued shades. Making the earlier coating that Frenzy had once done to Optimus Prime and the others – seem like an amateur work compared to this!

Not that Sunstreaker and the drones went unscathed by any means. The femmes managed to get a few good shots in, which the mature mech got the brunt of. For the small drones were well protected within him. Normally, getting ANY paint on his armor would've bothered the rather vain mech. But he was beyond caring at the moment. His entire focus being on paying the femme back for all her insults! He'd worry about fixing his paint later.

They made another wide loop around the femmes. Leaving a swath of multicolored gravel all around them as testament to the sheer volume of paint balls which the tiny drones were pumping out in rapid-fire sequence….

Tired of being outflanked, Frenzy transformed, the sparkling femmes leaping into her as she jumped over the turning mech in a blur of wheels… Hitting the gravel hard, she bounced once or twice before gaining traction and peeling out… Bee-lining for the mountains rising up in the horizon, she floored it, the mechs giving chase…

--------

"Admit it, the mechs won this round!" Sunstreaked snorted from the next bay over. He wanted to hear the arrogant femme admit just ONE failure. Just ONE instance where the mechs triumphed over her! True, he'd never admit it. But he and Frenzy-Jazz did have something in common. They both had over-inflated egos: Him over his looks – Her over the sense of superiority she felt over mechs.

Frenzy retorted with a derisive snort. "The DRONES won this round," she conceded.

But the insult was plain for Sunstreaker to hear. Once again, he was being included in the 'drones'. The yellow Stingray's engine revved in irritation, but he didn't move a servo. For the sparklings were all busily cleaning both him and Frenzy in the wash bays they had found. Sunstreaker wasn't about to move and chance disturbing his little charges while they happily soaped him up – and each other as well.

Meanwhile, Barricade had transformed to bot mode and was leaning on the wall of the other set of bays, watching both her charges and her companions – as they all 'played' with the humans' car washing instruments. It had originally been her that had found out about the sparkling's love of water, soap bubbles and high pressure spray. She had actually been the one to teach them on how to properly wash off a full sized mech. "I concur with Sunstreaker. His team did manage to accurately hit your team with more balls."

This unexpected support from the other con femme caught Streaker a bit off guard. Though he recovered very quickly… "Bad when even your own bitch says that you lost," he snickered.

"He, he, he – won't happen again, DRONES!" she promised.

"Drones drones… boys are all drones!" Ratchet's two daughters chimed in. They turned the insult into a little song, which they sang as they washed all the paint from their mother's silver armor. Well, in between spraying each other and giggling - that is…

"Can't wait for Ratchet to hear them say that," Sun muttered under his breath. The imagined vision of the medic going after the freaky femme with a wrench or three was so funny – that he actually began to laugh about it.

"Laughing is the last thing I'd expect from you," Barricade noted. The femme cocked her helm and gave the now shaking stingray a curious glance.

"You'll be laughing too – when Ratchet hears what Frenzy's taught their daughters about mechs!" Streaker was now having a hard time staying on his tires he was rolling so hard. "He's gonna so chase your freaky tail pipes down!"

Glancing from the hysterically laughing Sunstreaker – to Frenzy-Jazz – Barricade arched up a concerned eye ridge. "You informed me that WE were in control over them – is this false information?" she queried.

"He's full of slag," Frenzy retorted. Now completely cleaned off, she transformed and walked out of the wash bay, leaving the two tiny femmes to keep playing and giggling in their impromptu water fight. The silver femme strolled over, and leaned next to Barricade. "Sun's just pissed that everyone BUT him – got a piece or a contract."

"I'll make a contract with you Frenzy," Sunstreaker snickered as he transformed and left his charges to play in the water. He walked up to the femme and held out his hand as if he wanted to shake it. "NOT to EVER touch you!" he finished.

The Jazz-look-a-like snickered and stuck her glossa out at him. "Well, you know how drones are 'Cade – they got to self interface because no one else wants to waste their time on such diminutive transfers!" she snickered.

Sunstreaker sidestepped, allowing the happily chattering drones to dart by him and join the little femmes in their water play. His optics never left Frenzy's though… "I'll have you know – I've had hundreds of femmes just BEG to suck my massive transfer!" he bragged.

The two femmes glanced at each other in amusement. They'd both heard about his past reputation as a gladiator prior to the recent war – though neither one was about to BELIEVE it. "Yeah, prove it! I betcha it ain't even half the size of Ratchet's," she elbowed 'Cade, "and he was a mere virgin."

Narrowing his optics, the insulted mech snarled and activated his transfer. No, not to slag either femme – nor to get a blow – nor even to allow them the honor of TOUCHING it! But to prove, once-and-for-all that HE was more mech than either of them could ever handle – even in their dreams! Curling his hand around the thick shaft as he fully pressurized it, he snorted in pride as he proved himself more than an 'average mech'! "I'll give you the honor of SEEING such a massive transfer – don't ever think either one of you will ever be femme enough to get more than a GLANCE!"

Frenzy snickered and nodded at 'Cade. "Hers is just as big."

The snickered reply caught the arrogant mech off guard. His optics narrowed then, and he glared accusingly at the police cruiser. "You slaggin' LIED to us! You claimed to be a FEMME!" he growled.

Before he could pull back his arm for a full punch, Barricade's reply stopped him. "I am. But without a false transfer – how do you think femmes hid within the con ranks? Hmmmm?" she gave him an unconcerned shrug as she spoke, as if that very idea should've been obvious to anyone.

With a hiss, his transfer de-pressurized and retracted, disappearing back within the safe confines of his armor. Putting his hands on his hip components, Sun glared at them both. "So you expect me to believe that ALL con femmes installed fake transfers on themselves simply to hide – that's freagin' sicko!"

The pair shrugged. "Actually, I miss mine a little. Sure was fun to slag Rumble up the tail pipes, he, he, he," Frenzy replied.

"I thought she slagged you – more than you slagged her?" Barricade smirked. She could tell the mech was being made more and more uncomfortable by the description of hidden femmes slaggin each other like true mechs would.

Frenzy-Jazz shrugged again. "Yeah, he, he, guess so. I liked it up the tail pipes." She glanced at the mech out of the corner of her optics; his shifting peds indicated his discomfort about the whole conversation. Which was sweet – and she was going to make sure that he was even MORE uncomfortable if she could!!! "From Sideswipe's braggin', he, he, he, YOU like it rough – huh?" she asked Streak.

Sunstreaker's face plate grew heated at the comment. It was one thing for mechs to joke about the goings-on between each other – it was a whole different ball of screws to have femmes joke about the same things. "HE likes it rough – I'm always the one slaggin' HIM!"

Oh, this was good… 'Cade just couldn't resist… She pulled Frenzy roughly to her. "You know – it's been a long time since I slagged anyone," she said in a passionate tone.

"He, he, he,…. Think you're as good as Rumble was? Miss it since little 'Bee ain't got a freagin falsy," Frenzy-Jazz purred back.

"Wanna find out?" Barricade offered with a devious wink.

Sunstreaker groaned in disgust as the femmes went at it right in front of him. They didn't even have the Autobot decency to find some privacy first! Shaking his head, he marched over to the wash bay and leaned his doorwings against it, not even thinking much about the sparklings who crowded around him. Their little optics wide in wonderment as they learned what adults did with each other. That actually wasn't a big deal – for in mech society this was exactly HOW the young learned to become mature mechs. Unlike humans, who hid behind closed doors all the time and then wondered at how their kids learned to do the nasty.

But mechs generally sought a tiny measure of privacy from the view of other mature non-involved mechs. Well, at least in the Autobot ranks they did. It seemed that Decepticons didn't. And now Sunstreaker was stuck watching the ugliest femme he'd ever laid optics on – looking just like a mech slaggin' another mech. Though he'd never wanted to understand how the Decepticons had been fooled for so long – he now did. Frankly, if he didn't KNOW the two actually WERE femmes – their fake 'mech interplay' sure as hell would've fooled him too!

With a heavy clang, he sat down, not even noticing the imitation playing going on between the sparklings. It was normal for them to try and copy, that's how they learned.

Propping his chin up on his bent knees, Sunstreaker kept his long-range scanners on. Keeping his guard up, even as he watched a real life flick unfold before him… A 'flick' that made him sick to his fuel tank. "Ironhide would've loved the show. He's such a sicko," he muttered to himself. Actually, Sideswipe probably would've loved it too. But the jokester would've been snickering and throwing out suggestions to them – not getting turned on like he assumed Ironhide would.

As the femmes finished their play and fell silent in overload, Streaker looked up at the clear blue sky. "Why in the frag did you choose ME to torture like this?!? I'd of rather faced a whole horde of Decepticreeps over THIS!" he muttered. His words directed at a mech – who couldn't hear them – and wouldn't really care anyways…

------

_Note: Didn't realize how fun it is to write dialogue that diss's and insults each other… It's a blast to write – and I hope - to read as well! Leave a review if you like reading it, as much as I like writing it!_


	3. Chapter 3

****Matter of Pride part 3****

_Note: I'm bringing in some more G1 canons, just try to imagine them how you would picture the movieverse form they would be in. But their personalities will be strictly based on G1. _

-----

Barricade frowned as she picked up Drone #3 and set him back on his peds for the umpteenth time just this day cycle. The sparklings were all progressively getting weaker. Something had to be done! "It is time for you all to defrag, transform and do so," she ordered. With a feeling of satisfaction she watched as all six sparklings immediately obeyed her without question. They were very well trained… Testament to their upbringing by con femmes!

Carefully picking up each small sparkling, she set them side-by-side. It would be easier to keep tabs on them in this manner. Running a security scan of the immediate surroundings, the wary cruiser made sure that the area was still free of unwanted intruders. It was helpful that she was still on Decepticon frequencies. She'd spot a fellow when he was still kilometers away..

"Frenzy, the sparklings are growing weaker," she reported as she walked around the corner of the old building and found her leader.

Glancing up from her card game with Sunstreaker, Frenzy-Jazz nodded. "I know."

"We need Energon; do you still have the items?" Cade asked.

Again, the silver femme nodded. "I will use them tonight in order to track the source."

Sunstreaker glanced from femme to femme, his optics narrowing in suspicion. True, these two had sided with the Autobot mechs for the safety they offered – but he understood more than the other Autobots that the femmes were only loyal to themselves. Not that he expected them to actively betray the Autobots, but he wouldn't put it past them to swipe something from them if they thought they needed it more. "Mind telling me what the 'items' are and what this 'source' is?"

Frenzy-Jazz looked up at him and shrugged. "He, he, he, nothin' a drone needs to worry his small meta over."

Throwing the cards down, the mech glared at her. "I'm no freagin' drone – and no slaggin' youngster recruit! I'm your protector – and you'd better start treating me with more damned respect!" he snarled.

'Cade set a hand on his shoulder armor, stopping him before he could even think of swinging at Frenzy. "It is better that you not have this knowledge. The Decepticon forces are rising up en masse. If your Prime cannot defeat our true lord – you may end up the last of your faction."

"He, he, we can always protect YOU then. Claim you as our, he, he, he – interface slave," Frenzy added.

"Yes, the One will help us to hide without being detected as we build up the strength of the next generation. Then we can approach the true Lord and offer our services as a separate faction to Megatron's." The cruiser patted Sunstreaker's shoulder armor as if to comfort him.

His optics widening in total outrage over their calm description of his faction's possible fate, Sunstreaker balled his fists tightly. "You're both fuckin' TRAITORS!" he growled.

"Not traitors. We protect our own. Those femmes who are young – and those sparklings that I now carry. He, he, he, all the other Autobot mechs understood this – your optics must need realignment." Frenzy patted her lower abdomen, reminding Sunstreaker that she was indeed pregnant with his leader's get.

"That is why Optimus trusts us with minimal mech security. He knows the rules which govern us as femmes," Barricade agreed. She let go of Sunstreaker's shoulder. "He is only concerned that the species shall survive – as are we."

"He is concerned with stopping the Decepticons from destroying everything they touch – not just breeding!" Sunstreaker snorted. Granted, he was talking to two of them right now, but he didn't care.

"Mechs will destroy what they touch – femmes do not," Cade countered.

"So you don't give a damn which side wins?!?" He couldn't believe what he was hearing! Didn't they have an ounce of loyalty for the mechs they bred?!? Turning to Frenzy, he stuck his digit in her face plate. "And YOU have the audacity to claim to be Ironhide's mate?!? He'd shoot you down for what you are saying!"

Frenzy-Jazz shook her head and gave him a smirk. "He, he, he, nope – he'd be proud that we survive to continue the species."

"And you don't even seem to give a damn whether he lives – or dies!" he accused.

In a blur of motion, she grabbed him and threw him against the building. Before he even knew what had happened, she was straddling him. Her optics mere centimeters from his as she glared at him… "Don't ever say that again!" her voice became low and threatening, "for I will miss him, every time I must lower myself to breed with a lesser mech – such as you!" She huffed as she got off of him, stalking away angrily.

Sunstreaker pointedly ignored Barricade's offered hand. Climbing to his peds, he locked her optics with his. "You'd better come clean and tell me what all this is about!" he threatened. Grabbing her by her neck, he spun and slammed the femme against the very spot he'd just been slammed against himself.

'Cade studied him, not really afraid in the least. "There's only one way I'll agree to disclose information," she stated in a cool level tone.

"What's that?" he growled. She was probably going to have the audacity to demand that he stick his transfer in her or something. He beat the information out of her – before he'd EVER concede to THAT!

"If you are captured, you completely erase all memory files from the moment you entered this planet's atmosphere." She shrugged off his hand, and stood there as calm as a statue.

Taken aback, Sunstreaker stood there staring at her for a moment. This wasn't what he expected her to demand at all! For a femme, or any mech for that matter, to demand something so drastic of another – was outrageous! But it meant that whatever secret the two femmes had – was of life-or-death importance. It was even more important to the femme to keep this secret – than to get slagged! Which was impressive to say the least, considering the fact that she was still unabashedly chasing him for his transfer. "Why?" he demanded to know.

"Because if Megatron, or our true Lord, finds out – we are all doomed. Femmes AND Autobots," Barricade whispered.

So, a secret so big that the femmes had to keep it away from Megatron himself? Considering how loyal Barricade had once been to the tyrant - that was almost unbelievable. Though it did tell him that she wasn't joking…. "Ok, I'll agree to dump my memory banks IF the cons ever get GOOD enough to catch me alive," he replied, his tone slightly colored with sarcasm, since he highly doubted that there was even the slightest possibility that the cons would ever get THAT good.

"The MOMENT that you are taken." Barricade leveled her optics at him, her tone deadly serious.

"The second my peds leave the ground – not that it's ever gonna happen," he agreed.

Sitting down, Barricade gathered up the thrown cards, making it obvious to the mech that they'd talk over a game. Taking his spot across from her, he waited impatiently as she dealt the cards.

"When Frenzy was in the form of Sam's cell phone – she found several items of interest within his room," Barricade began.

"Yeah, heard 'bout that. Sneaky little freak!" Sunstreaker replied as he threw down some cards and picked up others.

"She now possesses two fragments."

"Do what?!? They were all supposed to have been collected and safely stored! The bitch hid them?!?" He ground his dental plates together in anger over the femme's secret ploys – right under Optimus's olfactory sensor!

'Cade snorted as she played her hand, winning the round. "Mechs are notorious for losing such items. The Decepticons have already obtained another shard. They will soon rise up."

"How do you know this? Are you freagin' playin' both sides?" His tone became accusatory again, but he controlled his emotions and dealt another round.

She shrugged as if it were nothing special. "When you are a Decepticon femme, you remain aware of what your old faction is up to."

"Do they know you are still around?" If so, what would they face?

"Yes, they are aware that I wasn't destroyed." She tossed down a few cards and replaced them with new ones.

"And why aren't they coming after you?" He smirked a bit as he looked down at a rather good hand.

"Because they believe that I'm still a mech who is working for their cause." She threw down her hand, confident that she'd won again.

Smirking victoriously, Sunstreaker played his hand, winning the round. "And how are you managing that deception? Giving away our secrets or something?" he snorted. He wouldn't put it past her…

"Sending believable, yet not-truly-necessary, false information." She gathered up the cards to deal the next round.

He glanced up at her. For the first time, he found himself impressed by the ugly con femme. She could very well have been sending useful military secrets that she knew about the Autobots and their human allies – yet hadn't been. So in a sense, the 'double agent' was actually loyal to the Autobot cause. "And what if you're found out?"

"The One shall protect me then. Claim that I mis-understood the directives that I was sent," she explained. She noted the slight softening of the mech's arrogant tone towards her now. Perhaps he was coming around? Realizing that she was a valuable ally?

"Hmmmm, mind telling me who this 'One' is?" he prodded. Picking up the hand she just dealt him, he began to sort his cards.

"I cannot." She also began to sort her hand.

Her tone told him that there was no way she'd ever disclose the Decepticon who was helping to protect her. He understood it a little, for whoever that faceless con was – he was risking his existence by doing such. He'd never thought that cons would ever go to such lengths to protect each other. Perhaps that con was her mate or something? And if he was – then why was she chasing him? No, couldn't be a mate then.

Perhaps a twin? Sunstreaker thought about his spark bond with Sideswipe. _Yes, has to be her twin brother or something. _He decided. For he would risk his life for Sideswipe – and vice-versa. He looked at her in a whole new light now. She must be lonelier than hell to be apart from her twin brother for so long… He actually felt sorry for the ugly femme now. Not REAL sorry – but just a little…

Deciding to change the subject a little, he went back to the matter of the fragments. "So what will the fragments lead us to?" he asked.

"The Energon source we need for the sparklings," 'Cade explained.

He cocked his head in curiosity. There were no Energon sources on this planet. Ratchet would've found them if there were! "Ratchet found no Energon pulses. And he's been looking ever since we landed."

Barricade looked up at him, a wry smile on her face plate. "Mechs look for the obvious – Femmes do not. The AllSpark imprinted its code on Frenzy's meta before it was destroyed. It told her how to use it to find the Energon. A single fragment is all she needs."

"So you expect me to believe that there's actually a catch of Energon that the ancients stored on this planet or something? I wasn't sparked yesterday!" he snorted. Tossing down his hand, he smirked as he beat her a second time in a row.

"Not a catch – a naturally occurring source." Barricade frowned as she lost the round.

"And you'll take me there? Share it with the Autobots?" He gathered up the cards and began to deal another round. But his meta was going wild thinking of the great advantage that having access to natural Energon would give the Autobots. The depleted Decepticons wouldn't stand a chance!

She gave a sarcastic chuckle. "If they survive this new threat, yes – if not, we will hide with the Energon." She leaned forward and touched his knee armor. "We will breed. Raise and train and army of Drones, femmes and mechs… And when the time is right.."

"Avenge our friends – if they don't … survive.." His core plummeted as he spoke that last word. Now he understood why they had conned him into accepting this mission. Optimus knew the femmes were more than capable of keeping themselves and the young safe and out-of-sight. Heck, they were masters of deception! He'd just sent a mech along who wasn't related to any of them or their young. Sunstreaker's optics drifted up to the shimmering stars as he realized that Ratchet had basically given his daughters as future mates to him – in the event of the medic's demise.

'Cade stayed silent as she watched the emotions pass over the yellow mech's face plate. She'd been the one to secretly inform Optimus as to what he and his mechs were facing. It had meant almost certain death to them. That's why he'd sent one mech along with them. The two femmes were more than capable of surviving without Sunstreaker. More than capable of raising the young themselves… But Prime had wanted to ensure the continuation of the Autobot spark line within the resulting generations. Whether he was still alive to see it – or not… Sunstreaker could mate them all – if need be. Without the weakness associated with inbreeding… "You understand now," she said softly.

"Optimus knew something when he sent us away to hide – didn't he?" Sunstreaker's hands trembled slightly as he felt the fear of potentially losing his twin spark – and not being able to do a single thing to help him… "And you told him – what the Decepticons were up to."

"Affirmative."

"Why? You're a Decepticon. You could've just disappeared into their ranks as a mech again." He set down his hand, unable to continue the game.

"I'm loyal first-and-foremost to the femmes. If I hadn't given him warning – the Autobots wouldn't stand even a chance against the threat they face." Barricade searched his face plate as she leaned back against the building.

"So in a warped way – you are actually loyal to the Autobots – whether you admit it or not." It wasn't really awe in which he looked at her now – but he felt differently about her. As if she was now truly a comrade. Even if she was the ugliest, most annoying, comrade he'd ever had…

"Femmes prefer Autobot mechs, you are easier to enter contracts with," Barricade explained. Standing up, she nodded to the yellow mech, hoping that one day he'd make that contract with her.

He said nothing as she walked off, his meta was too busy going over all the ramifications of what he'd just learned….

------

"It's an Autobot signal," Barricade stated.

The trio and sparklings watched as the fireball flashed across the night sky. They all instinctively tracked it, and marked where its trajectory indicated that it would land.

Sunstreaker transformed. "You two stay back, I'll make first contact. Then I'll radio you when it's safe to meet," he ordered.

Neither femme insulted him for his arrogance in ordering THEM around, since they more than understood his reasoning. They watched the yellow Stingray disappear across the high plateau, before they themselves transformed and gathered up the weakening sparklings within them.

"It would be good to have two mechs loyal to us," Barricade noted as she drove after Frenzy-Jazz.

"He, he, he, yep. Hope he's not some loser like Sun though!" the silver femme cackled.

Barricade sighed; Frenzy never would learn to appreciate the less violent mechs – would she? Unlike herself – who had found herself quite attracted to them. Even though she had to pursue them; it was the pursuit itself that she found the most exciting. If she'd wanted a mech who'd just slag her without so much as asking him to – she'd just catch a Decepticon mech. No, pursuing an Autobot was much more enticing to her. She was actually hoping that this new Autobot mech would turn out to be another for her to eventually pursue… It'd make life even more entertaining!

-----

The sphere opened, allowing him to leap out of its superheated confines. The mech glanced around as he quietly made his way across the dark landscape. He had to find a form to scan before the Decepticons found him!

His strides were long as he covered the rough terrain effortlessly. Passing by a sheer cliff face, he couldn't help but to pause and take a full scan of its mineral content. His urge to learn and study his surroundings, briefly overcoming his common sense. He startled as he realized that he'd lost track of time – and still hadn't found a form to scan. Mumbling to himself, he hit himself on his helm a few times as he berated himself for getting sidetracked.

Continuing on, he tried to keep his optics off the fascinating scenery as he desperately searched for his disguise. He almost squealed in happiness as he ran across a campsite. Stepping back quickly before he could accidentally step on a tent occupied by organic creatures – he scanned the mechanical vehicle parked next to them. His silvery form changing in the blink of an optic as he took its form….

The humans came out of their tent, bleary eye'd and swearing they heard the sound of their Dune Buggy driving away. But their vehicle was still parked right where they'd left it. Shaking their heads, they went back in their tent, blaming the imagined noise on the case of Budweiser they'd consumed a few hours before.

-----

"Hey Beachy – long time!" Sunstreaker's voice exclaimed, interrupted the preoccupied mech's studies of another cliff face.

The Autobot geologist turned to face his old comrade, opening his arms to give him a friendly hug. "Isn't this planet cool man? I mean, check this out!" Letting Sun go, he turned his attention back to the rock, running his hands over it – almost lovingly….

Sunstreaker rolled his optics. The scientist hadn't changed a bit – had he? But at least he was another mech. Now he wouldn't be the only one getting dogged by the two obnoxious femmes! "Yeah, guess so. The humans got some nice car washes."

"Humans?" Beachcomber asked without taking his optics off the fascinating geologic formation. This was obviously sedimentary rock, which meant this planet was still geologically active. Primus, he couldn't wait to find a volcano or two! He loved to sit and just watch them in action.

"Yeah, they're intelligent organics – make pretty good allies when they're not trying to tell Optimus that he's an idiot," Sunstreaker explained.

"So they have an advanced society then?" the mech turned his optics back to his comrade. Perhaps they'd finally run across a peaceful race – that he could hang with their Geologists and discuss theories? He sure hoped so!

"Pretty much. They've got weapons that can actually slag a Decepticon or two – so they help us fight 'em. Granted, their weapons aren't as good as mine!" Sunstreaker's normal bragging filled his tone.

"Violent then – a pity dude." Beachcomber sighed sadly and went back to his study of the rock.

"Hey, it isn't that bad Beachy," Sunstreaker started to say. He noticed the femmes stopping on the rise not far from their location, obviously waiting for him to give the signal. "And Prime gave me a special mission. Guess you're now stuck helping me."

"What's that? Hunting down Decepticons?" The laid back mech shot him a look, "tell him I'm not interested."

"Naw, this mission's right up your alley."

Beachcomber snorted, he doubted Sunstreaker would accept a mission involving peacefully studying anything. "Not likely – if you're involved dude."

"Well, how's hiding out with a couple of femmes and sparklings sound to you?" Sun knew it'd sound pretty good to the scientist. Hell, the mech hated fighting and would only do so if he was backed into a corner! Which is pretty much what the mission was about – wasn't it?

"There's no femmes left – Megatron off lined them all. You gotta glitch dude," Beachcomber gave him one of his haphazard smiles.

"They were hiding right under his olfactory sensor," Sun snickered, his optics gleaming in amusement at the thought of Megatron not even being the least little suspicious.

"Decepticon femmes? Seriously dude – you gotta have a glitch."

Sunstreaker waved to the distant femmes. He knew Beachcomber wouldn't be the least bit wary of them. "Nope, check it out." He leaned forward and whispered in Beachcomber's audio, "But they're both a pain-in-the-servo. Don't say I didn't warn you!"

Frenzy-Jazz spun in front of them first. Her doors opened and the sparklings tumbled out, chattering excitedly. Transforming in a blur, she walked around the Geologist, looking him up and down.

"Dude, that's just Jazz," Beachcomber chuckled. "Hey Jazz. Found any good tunes here?"

The Jazz look-a-like stopped in front of him and cocked her head. Giving him an amused grin, she shrugged, her mouth clamped tightly shut.

"Told you – you had a glitch!" Beachcomber said to Sunstreaker. Turning his back to them, he began to pull at the rock a bit.

Sunstreaker glared daggers at the silent Frenzy, just knowing that the femme was doing this to make him look like a complete fool. "Tell him Frenzy," he ordered.

She kept her mouth shut.

Beachcomber chuckled. "So where's Ratchet? He REALLY needs to fix that glitch of yours dude. That's Jazz – not Frenzy. Frenzy's like, yay tall," he explained as he held his hand up by his thigh.

"Fucking bitch!" Sunstreaker snarled under his breath. He wanted so badly to wipe that knowing smirk right of her face plate!

Barricade pulled up right then. The sparklings tumbling out of her as she too transformed… She glanced from the amused face plate of Frenzy – to the enraged Sunstreaker – to the confused Beachcomber. Taking Frenzy's lead, she kept her mouth shut and simply extended her hand to the Autobot.

"Wow! How'd you get Barricade to switch sides?" Beachcomber exclaimed. He'd met the con more than once in battle, and NEVER expected him to ever switch sides! Pulling the silent cruiser to him, he gave him a welcoming hug. "Never mind – just glad you finally saw the light dude!"

Sunstreaker snarled under his breath and stormed off. The concerned geologist staring after him….

Frenzy-Jazz couldn't hold back any longer, falling onto her back armor, she began to roll in laughter. Barricade soon following her lead….

Beachcomber's jaw dropped in amazement as he realized that Sunstreaker wasn't glitched at all. These were BOTH femmes!!! He stood there in total shock, staring down at the hysterically snickering pair, not even really noticing the small hands reaching out to touch his legs. The small sparklings clambering up onto him…..

------

_Ok, just HAD to think of some twisted twists. Tried to keep from directly putting movie spoilers in – though there are some references… The plot's gonna get REAL intense/twisted now! And I am an unabashed review whore, so the 30 of you who have alerted this story – tell me what you think. I'm always looking to improve, but can't if no one will point out my strengths or weaknesses out to me!_


	4. Chapter 4

***Matter of Pride part 4****

"Chics, you two some SERIOUS S&M types," Beachcomber chuckled as he leaned up against the base of the cliff. A lazy half-grin plastered itself on his face plate as he watched the pair playing a little bondage game under the stars.

"Geese, you can't tell me watching THAT doesn't make you queasy!?!**" **Sunstreaker muttered from next to him.

Turning his blue optics towards his fellow mech, the geologist shook his head. "Why? Should it?" Instinctively, he counted the row of small sparklings laid out on the other side of the former gladiator. It had become quite the habit during the trek. A habit that the peace loving mech was determined to keep. He never realized how much he loved being around ones so young. It made sense though, for they were pure innocence as well….

The golden one rolled his optics. "But they're ugly as slag!" His handsome face plate scrunched up into a scowl as the femmes' noise rose in volume. It was bad enough to watch the action – did they HAVE to make sure that everyone in a half-kilometer radius could hear it as well?!?

"And your point being dude?" Beachcomber was highly amused at Sun's reaction. Femmes were femmes – were they not? And to actually have some around – who were obviously sexually active – was a blessing. Not some curse as Streaker seemed to think!

Sunstreaker pointed his digit towards the otherwise engaged femmes. "You're telling me – that watching a pair of ugly screws – screw each other with a fake transfer as if they were a pair of mechs – doesn't bother you in the LEAST?!?"

"Basically." Beachcomber gave him a shrug. Turning his optics back to the live femme play in front of him, he gave into his needs a little.

"You're not seriously gonna do that?" Sunstreaker felt a creepy sensation go through his grids as the mech next to him began a little self-interfacing action.

"Mmmmmm," the dune buggy slouched further and spread some lube on his shaft. "You outta try it dude. Might get your olfactory sensor unstuck from that too-tight tail pipe of yours."

Curling his legs, Sunstreaker set his chin on his knees and sulked. This had become his standard reaction to any mention of self-interfacing and/or having to watch the two ugliest femmes in the universe go at it. "Why don't you just go use that thing on Barricade while your at it – then she'll leave me alone for a while," he muttered.

He chuckled as his strokes remained slow and lazy, not in the least bit hurry to get release. Beach glanced over at his sullen friend. In fact, he'd thought of that very idea a few day cycles ago. Had even approached Barricade and engaged in a discussion about her future intentions. One thing had become quite clear then. The femme was hopelessly infatuated with Sunstreaker. Why – he hadn't the slightest clue. The mech treated her worst than rust. But yet she still pursued him. Still lusted for his arrogant yellow hide….

Beachcomber guessed that he should feel somehow slighted – but for some reason he simply didn't. After all, Barricade had been fairly friendly to him. Well, as friendly as a Decepticon-raised femme knew how to be. Actually, he felt sorry for her misguided interest and hoped that it wouldn't end up tearing out her very spark.

Then again, maybe when she finally gave up the chase – she'd consider a 'contract' with him for a cycle or two? Yeah, that'd be nice. He'd have some of his own sparklings to spoil then.. His bond mate would understand his actions. In fact, his bond mate would be totally thrilled to help him raise the little ones..

As his strokes continued and the haze of pleasure washed over him, Beachcomber's meta delved into his memory banks. Pulled up the memories of hanging out with a certain youngster. A young mech who'd been so afraid he'd become a failure; who'd do anything to impress the adopted father mech that he so idolized. He'd confided in 'Beachy' over some Energon. Even fallen into defrag cradled in his steady arms.

The laid back mech smiled sadly; for all that time he'd liked the young scout. He'd sensed that the mech was hiding something. Something that drove him to fight in order to drive it deep within himself…. Beach had always assumed it was the youngling's inner drive to not fight, to be passive like himself and his mate – that drove him. But he'd been so wrong. And the sheer irony was almost more than the geologist could keep within himself.

For that youngster he'd shared so many night cycles with. Had laughed and cried with as they'd gotten much more than over energized. Had even dared to kiss – just that once… Had been a femme who was scared of her own sex! An ironic smile passed over his relaxed visage then. For he now knew why the hidden femme had struck up such a tight friendship with him at the time. He was a 'safe' mech. He was already so tightly bonded to another mech, that she'd never feared that he'd ever come on to her in that way...

Bumblebee's visage came into his RAM then. Her scared optics calming down as he stroked her doorwing and told her she'd do just fine in live fire drill the next shift… Her warm chassis as she snuggled tight against him, whispering 'thanks Beachy'…. The memory shifted to the last time he'd seen her… The chaos of the evacuation from the base.. She'd run up to him, her optics full of tears. Almost willing to go AWOL from the military mission so that she could go with him and First Aid - and explore new worlds, new geologic formations. But she couldn't. They'd both known that. His lips had brushed her cheek plate just that once. Beachy promising that he'd survive. That they'd one cycle sip some brew together again and tell each other about their missions.

As his systems began to overload and shutdown, Beachcomber made a promise to himself. When he saw Bumblebee again, he'd pull her to the side. Whisper to her that he'd take her as 'official' bond mate – and she'd never have to fear getting pregnant. They'd just hang out like they'd always had.. They'd find First Aid together… He'd promise….He'd really really promise that… His optics rolled to the back of his cranial unit then. And with one final stroke, he shuddered and went silent…

------

The sounds of giggling sparklings flooded into his meta as he slowly rebooted. Beachcomber sighed in happiness, his optics glowing in the darkness as they activated. "Still trying to keep them spotless, huh?" he joked.

Trying to keep the wiggling and giggling little femme across his leg, Sunstreaker nodded. He frowned as he tried unsuccessfully to wipe the grime from her silvery shoulders. She just writhed in shrieks of laughter, spasming every time he touched her there. "Stay still!" he ordered, which of course didn't work.

"She thinks you're tickling her dude," the dune buggy explained with an amused smile.

"She can THINK anything she likes – as long as she stays still!" Sun harrumphed. His quick glance over at the mech gave the little femme the break she needed. With dancing peds, she was off, racing across the rough ground.

"Turning into a freak like her mother, sheesh!" He threw down his buffing rag in total disgust and glared after the dancing femme. Damn it! Now she'd turned and waved a taunting middle digit back at him.

"She wants you to chase her. Cute little thang." Beachcomber elbowed Sun, trying to get the sulking mech off his tail pipes.

Sunstreaker stuck his olfactory sensor up in the air. "I don't chase femmes!" he snorted.

"Hmmmm? Even cute ones with yellow armor?" the scientist teased. Sunstreaker had already told him the story of how he was 'promised' a date with Bumblebee for taking this mission. The funny thing was, everyone BUT Sun seemed to be able to see the truth of the matter. That included Beachcomber, Who was pretty darn positive that Ironhide would literally THROW Bumblebee into HIS quarters in order to keep the young femme outt've Sunstreaker's reach. But hell, it was still fun to tease Sun about it all. He'd feel bad for the dude later – when Bee was safely cuddled on his berth….

The twin shot him a look that could kill. "Won't have to chase her. She's promised to me," he snorted.

Beachcomber rolled in laughter, falling flat on his back armor. "Dude you are SO blind! He, he, he, he! How'd you ever survive the war? He, he, he,he…."

Sunstreaker cuffed him hard in the abdomen, knocking the wind out of him. "I'm NOT fraggin' blind! Ironhide promised!"

Wiping his tears of laughter from his face plate, Beachcomber tried to collect himself a bit. "Yeah you are. Knowing Ironhide, he promised you A date. And here you are makin' plans like she's gonna be on your berth the rest of her life."

"Who else would she want? She doesn't want Prime – and I'm the only other available mech of any quality." Sunstreaker's olfactory sensor couldn't get much further up in the air if he'd tried.

"Let's see dude; there's Sideswipe, Ratchet, the young twins, and me. Yep, plenty of 'quality' mechs on this planet for her to choose from." Beachcomber put his hands behind his helm and looked up at the twinkling stars. He had a pretty good idea of which one the scared-to-breed femme would choose – and why.

"You've got to be kidding me. YOU actually think she'd possibly choose YOU over ME?!?" the yellow mech snorted in contempt. "A mech who'd rather self-interface than to go ask an available Decepticon femme for a piece. Geese, you are such a fucking wimp."

"Actually I DID ask her. And at least I CAN self-interface." Beachcomber shot him a rather smug smile. "Or maybe you've got some physical problem that restricts your abilities. Hmmmm dude?" he teased.

"You suck at lying Beach. 'Cade's so horny she'd slag a mech statue. There's no way she'd turn an offered transfer down." Sunstreaker pointedly ignored the last insult the geologist had thrown his way. It was so far beneath him, it didn't deserve notice!

"Well dude, actually she's got a major glitch going. I'm gonna have to ask Ratchet to check her when we hook back up." His tone indicated that this was a glitch that Sunstreaker really should know about.

"A glitch? What kind've glitch?" Sun glanced over at the two defragging femmes across the clearing. If Barricade did indeed have a glitch, maybe when she was fixed – she'd finally leave him alone?!?

"She's hopelessly in love with an egotistical piece of slag – you know what I mean dude?" Beachcomber chuckled as he stood up, hearing the slight groan from his fellow mech. He turned and briefly met Sunstreaker's optics. "Don't know why you're so against getting it on with her. Most mechs would be proud to have one so intensely loyal to them. I think she'd actually die for you dude." With that, Beach wandered off to chase the feisty little sparkling femme who was darting around the edges of the clearing…

Sunstreaker fell back, his expression dark and broody as he looked up at the dark night sky. Now he had freagin' competition for Bumblebee! And what was worse – was the fact that it was rather well-known that all the older Autobots liked to drink some brew with the laid back geologist, including Ironhide! The golden mech ground his dental plates together in disgust. Life just sucked! He had to deal with mech competition – and a freagin' lovesick ugly aft femme chasing him around!

-------

"So where're we headed?" Beachcomber asked. He scanned the wonderful mountainous scenery around them. The signs of climatic erosion of volcanic formations all around them - just fascinated him to no end!

"It is not necessary for you to have this information," Barricade stated in her usual level tone.

"We're going somewhere where there's Energon or something," Sunstreaker explained from his position behind him. "Don't bother to keep asking though. The bitches won't get any clearer than that."

"Oh, ok," Beachcomber was silent for a few minutes as they kept driving. "Um Frenzy, think there'll be time for me to come back and look at all this once we get wherever we're going?"

"He, he, he, you'll have plenty to look at where we're goin'," the silver femme snickered.

"Geologically? Or just you and 'Cade going at it?" Not that he wouldn't mind the latter, but Beach really hoped he'd get to look more at the former.

"At least you seem like a normal mech in your reaction," Barricade noted. It was obvious who she was insulting though.

Frenzy made it crystal clear though. "Unlike a certain, he, he, egotistical rust bucket drone, he, he, he…."

"Why you fuckin' piece of slag! I'm gonna – AAAAAAKKKKKKKKK!!!!!" The ground seemed to explode all around Sunstreaker as he burned back.

"Seekers!" 'Cade yelled. Flooring it, she made it to the safety of a nearby tunnel. Slamming on her breaks, she spun, opening her doors and roughly tossing the four tiny sparklings onto the ground. Since she'd been carrying the two young femmes, her first responsibility was for their safety. Transforming in a blur, she kicked them further to the back and snarled at them to stay there.

Frenzy barely made it in after her. The silver femme callously dumped out the two weak sparkling drones in much the same way. Transforming, she landed in a crouch, her optics gleaming in battle lust as the sounds of banking jets filled her audios. "Did they ID you?!?"

"Negative," Barricade stated. Since she'd been rolling with the three obvious Autobots, she'd scanned a park ranger's cruiser. In effect, disguising herself from obvious identification if she was seen with them. As long as she didn't transform that was… She had to remain a double agent as long as possible. That's what the One had commanded. "These Seekers are not on a mission, they are off shift."

Frenzy-Jazz slid to the side of the tunnel, inching her way back to the front. She longed to go out there. Fight them as if she was Jazz. Off lining a few mechs would be rather pleasing in her quest for revenge. But now that she was pregnant to the last Prime – the One had ordered her to maintain self-preservation as her primary focus. "Slag, its Thundercracker and Dirge!" Her digits trembled in excitement on the trigger. She so wanted to stick a slug or five up their afterburners.

The ground rumbled with the explosions outside. The sounds of battle becoming louder. They could hear Sunstreaker yelling to Beachcomber to get to the tunnel… That he could handle the Seekers all by himself.

Grinding her dental plates together, Barricade fought her urge to charge out there and protect the object of her desire. She couldn't disobey direct orders. She had to ensure that the young femmes and the one carrying the future Primes were safely hidden! Frenzy glanced back at her, both femmes seeing the struggle the other was having. They both LOVED to fight! Loved battle and all the destruction which ensued! But neither could engage right now.

Beachcomber stumbled in then, his chassis sizzling from the amount of damage he'd taken. "Sunstreaker's overwhelmed! We've got to…. Got to…."

"We can do nothing! Come!" Barricade ordered in a cold as ice tone. Transforming, she opened her doors for the six sparklings to tumble in. Hating herself for doing so, she floored it into the mountain's depths, the two others covering her back…..

------

"I can't believe we left him…." Tears flowed from Beachcomber's optics as he rambled on, not even feeling the femme's digits within him as she patched him back together.

Barricade paced back and forth, her meta consumed by the flow of incoming data the One was sending her.

"So what's the story, he, he, the fraggin' Seekers goin' AWOL for fun?" Frenzy snorted as she pieced together another sensor cable.

The download finished, 'Cade sat down with a clang. "Basically," she reported.

"AWOL for fun? What do you mean?" Beach asked in a weak voice. Why would any mech go AWOL just so they could attack the enemy? It didn't make sense to him.

"Decepticon mechs regularly go AWOL to hunt down some 'fun'. He, he, he, it's the only way they can get anything to slag," Frenzy explained. Her tone was sarcastic though, because it used to be femmes that the bastards would hunt down. Visions of what happened to those femmes in their final tortured cycles of life filled her meta with that old burning rage.

"So he's still alive?" Weakly, Beach tried to sit up. Frenzy pushed him back down, not quite as roughly as Ratchet might've, but close enough.

"Affirmative. It will take him a minimum of twenty one day cycles to cease functioning," Barricade said dryly. The angry glow in her optics told the geologist that she wasn't pleased in the least about it.

"He, he, he, yeah, got to make sure everyone that on Megatron's 'good' list – gets a piece before his spark completely shatters." Frenzy scowled as she began working on another section of damaged servos….

"But we have time to rescue him then!" Beachcomber tried to sit up again, without much success.

"Negative. We must ensure that the last line of Primes is safe. That is our primary mission now." The cruiser's optics fell onto Frenzy's chassis, as if she could actually see the sparks growing within hers.

"So it's done then. He, he, a pity," Frenzy replied, her voice seemed almost filled with – regret?

"What's done? What last line? What are you two talking about?" the mech looked from one femme to the other in confusion.

Barricade stood up, walked over and checked on the exhausted sparklings. "Our lord has destroyed the last functioning Prime," she reported.

"Op… Optimus is dead? But…. But…" His optics filled with tears of sorrow. Visions of his powerful leader filling his meta…

"He, he, at least the lord THINKS he's off lined the last," Frenzy snickered. Her optics filled with a strange fire. The flame of stubborn defiance born from cycles of femme slaughters….

Without thinking about it, Beachcomber lifted a hand and pressed it against the 'field medic's' silver hood. He could feel the strong energy field of her spark; it tingled along his sensory threads within his digits. "Sun said you'd contracted with him. That you'd mated." His optics filled with renewed hope as the femme looked down at him and nodded.

"There will be more Primes. He, he, stronger Primes now that Optimus's spark has blended with the One's spark line." She didn't shake off his hand. Her meta was consumed with visions of her powerful offspring enacting the revenge of the Decepticon femmes upon their former tormentors…

"Who is this 'One'?" Beachcomber asked.

Both femmes glared at him, their optics darkening. "That is not for you to know," they spat in unison.

Beachcomber pulled his hand back as if shot. From the tone of their voices it was obvious that this was a secret they'd take with them to the scrap yard. His optics gleamed a bit as he tried to think of something to say. He was obviously now responsible with trying to ensure Frenzy's safety somehow, now that Sunstreaker had been lost. The peace loving mech's core plummeted as he felt the weight of the immense responsibility settle onto his weak shoulder plates. He was but a scientist… He was no warrior… He'd never stand a chance!

Barricade's and Frenzy's heads shot up as one. A faint signal… A faint warning of impending arrival…. The One's voice shouting in their helms that there were incoming Autobots…. As a single unit, they looked up at the lights streaking above them..

"Autobots," 'Cade stated. She stood up, her optics tracking the incoming mechs, calculating their trajectory for landing. "Three. Five clicks East."

Beachcomber struggled to his peds. His systems repaired just enough for him to transform. He breathed a sigh of relief, for now he wouldn't be faced with the sole responsibility of keeping Optimus's unborn sparklings safe. A familiar tug pulled at his spark then. "First Aid!" he gasped as happiness flooded over him. He knew that his bond mate had landed. When they were this close in proximity to each other – there was no mistaking it!

"Your bond mate?" Barricade inquired. Only bond mates could sense each other like that. She felt a pang of emptiness, the ache that she couldn't feel Sunstreaker's like that…

"Uh, Yes… And…" Beachcomber concentrated on his spark connection with the medic. He could see his mate searching for an alt form to scan… Felt as he scanned one.. Seeing through First Aid's optics, he spied the other Autobot who'd accompanied him to Earth. "And Prowl and Wheeljack!" he announced.

"Hmmm, at least two are fighters, somewhat," 'Cade noted in a dry tone. Turning to Frenzy, her optics gleamed with decision. "We are close to the energon source?"

"He, he, just a click or two away," Frenzy agreed.

"Four Autobot mechs are enough to ensure security for the sparklings?" the cruiser felt a sense of solidity go through her. She was prepared to go against directives. Prepared to do what she had to do. There was now a full medic and three fighters to protect the future Primes. Once they were secure, she would leave.

"Once we get past the sentinel and into the depths." Frenzy cocked her head and studied the other femme. "He, he, he, you thinkin' about going' after his worthless aft? Why throw your life away?" she snorted.

"I should've 'thrown it away' when I failed another femme. I must redeem myself," Barricade stated. She steeled herself for the twin of that long dead femme's reaction.

Frenzy narrowed her optics, knowing exactly what the cruiser was referring to. "You can't redeem yourself by rescuing a worthless mech!" she snarled.

"Maybe not to you. But to my own sense of honor – I can." Barricade turned away and looked in the direction of the approaching Autobots. They were tracking Beachcomber through his bond link with First Aid, a common method of linking up.

"You will freagin die for your useless infatuation!" Frenzy snarled next to her.

The cruiser paid her no heed. Her interest in Sunstreaker went deeper than any of them would ever know. For eons she'd fantasized about him. Every battle they'd fought against each other had just deepened that attraction. He was fearless, skilled, and slightly sadistic in his methodology. All traits that Barricade was attracted too… "I will return to headquarters after ensuring that this group has entered the catacombs. You will give me my promised portion," she stated in a flat no-nonsense tone of voice.

Frenzy rolled her optics. Picking up her two weakening daughters, she steeled herself to meet the new arrivals coming up the road. The memory files stored in Jazz's processors informed her that he and Prowl had once been very tightly bonded. The tactician would not be pleased to find her in his former love's chassis. Granted, he'd just have to deal with it since she wasn't about to vacate.

"Beachcomber!" First Aid yelled in greeting as he led the trio towards them. Transforming, the ambulance glanced at the obvious Decepticon standing next to his mate. "Uh, Barricade?" he turned his optics to the geologist in slight confusion.

"She's with us now, Dude," Beachcomber explained with a lazy grin and a shrug before falling into his open arms. He sighed happily as the larger medic spun him around.

Prowl didn't react like First Aid upon the sight of his beloved Jazz. He felt no spark connection… No link….. Transforming, he optic-balled the silver mech suspiciously. For something wasn't right about this, causing the cautious officer to automatically go on guard.

The two sparkling femmes clung to her armor, scampering up onto her shoulder plates. "You feel it too then? He, he, he good!" she snickered as she met his suspicious optics with an equally unflinching stare.

"You're not Jazz. What have you done with him?" Prowl growled. His optics drifted to Barricade, noting that the Decepticon hadn't activated her weapons systems; he assumed that Beachcomber's explanation was correct. She was no threat. The fact that she and obviously whoever had taken Jazz's chassis were femmes – wasn't at the top of his priority list right now.

Frenzy shrugged with little concern over the Autobot's feelings. "He rather suddenly vacated this premises with a little help from Megatron. He, he, he," she did a slow spin as if she was showing off a new outfit, "nice fit don't ya think?"

Prowl's optics couldn't narrow much further. His spark was breaking inside, yet the stoic mech showed no outward signs of his sorrow. Now was not the time for that. "Frenzy – I assume." It was obvious by her slightly insane behavior. He'd chased and engaged the hacker on Autobot bases she'd infiltrated too many times – not to immediately recognize her.

"He, he, he You win first prize!" Frenzy-Jazz snickered and slapped him on his shoulder plate. "Took your dumb afts here on Earth fourteen day cycles to figure it out, he, he, he."

"Two Decepticon femmes then. I'd thought you all were exterminated," he said dryly. His optics locked onto the pair of sparklings sitting on his former mate's chassis. It was obvious by Frenzy's unconscious behavior with them that they were her offspring. The other sparklings were busily poking Wheeljack's legs right now. No, those sparklings were drones – it was obvious.

"He, he, he, mechs are so stupid aye 'Cade," Frenzy smirked. Unconsciously, she stroked one of her daughters little legs.

Prowl cocked his head, pushing his thoughts of Jazz aside, he focused on finding out what was going on. Ignoring the insult, he nodded to her sparklings. "I assume those are Autobot-sired." Why else would Beachcomber be hanging out with a pair of con femmes. They had to be aligned with his faction – or they would've off lined the peaceful scientist by now.

"They're Ratchet's. Least that's what Sunstreaker told me," Beachcomber explained. He kept an arm around First Aid's waist as the mech set him back down. "And she's now carrying Optimus's."

The tactician frowned and crossed his arms. He didn't trust the femme as far as he could throw her. "Where is Sunstreaker?" he asked levelly.

"He was captured by some Seekers while he kept them distracted for our escape," the cruiser next to Frenzy stated.

His frown deepened. "And you all didn't help him?"

"Priority is to ensure the safety of the last of the Prime spark line." Barricade straightened her shoulders, her steely gaze locked with an equally steely gaze from the Autobot cruiser. "Once you are at your destination, I will leave them under your care."

"So the cons don't know that you're with us." It was an easy to make assumption for the quick witted tactician. The femme hadn't changed her insignia; all she'd changed was her voice. An easily rectified change…. "You intend to rescue him then?" If this was her intention – Prowl might actually trust the other cruiser. It would prove her loyalty.

Frenzy snorted, "Foolish femme has a crush on the egotistical drone. He, he, be the death of her."

Ok, they'd definitely been hanging out with Sunstreaker for a while. Prowl had felt the urge to call him that on more than one occasion. And he didn't really care WHY the cruiser was intending to go after him – just that she did. "So you'll go back as a full Decepticon and infiltrate them." It was a forgone conclusion to the tactician that none of the Autobots could accompany her. She would be on her own in this dangerous mission.

"Affirmative." Barricade's optics were cold as they stayed locked with his. The two cruisers understood each other more than any mech would understand. They were of similar temperaments when it came to duty and completing a mission. Failure was simply not an option. "Optimus Prime has ceased functioning," she reported. With a nod towards Frenzy, she continued, "Frenzy carries the last of the Prime spark line. She must be protected and hidden at all cost."

"Optimus? Dead?" Wheeljack stammered in shock. He held one of the young drones tightly to his hood, blinking back his tears.

Once again, Prowl remaining stoic, unemotional. Now was not the time for sorrow, he'd deal with that at a later time, just as he would have to deal with the loss of Jazz. The veil of responsibility now fell onto his door wings. He'd honor his deceased leader's memory by ensuring the survival of his offspring. "I assume you have a plan." Of course they had a plan. Femmes didn't survive the extermination right under Megatron's olfactory sensor and not have intelligence and cunning. In an ironic sense, he was glad he was going to be dealing with them.

Frenzy crossed her arms, a smug grin on her face plate. "He, he, he yep. But you four must give your oath to dump your memory banks the second you are captured."

The mechs glanced at each other. It was reasonable to assume that the secret of the femmes and the future birth of more Primes must be maintained above all else. So they all nodded as one.

"And no effort made to contact other Autobots," Barricade added.

"That would possibly lead your old faction to us," Prowl stated with an approving nod. That meant they'd be on their own in the event they were found by the cons. Not good odds – but these femmes were survivors. He trusted that they had a plan which would almost entirely eliminate the potential for discovery. "Agreed."

----

"Hey little one," Wheeljack chuckled as he stroked the little femme's back armor. It was hard to believe that she was one of his bond mate's offspring – but yet, he was absolutely thrilled! He knew that Ratchet was still alive. Somewhere out there on this big planet – locked in mortal combat with the Decepticon forces. Through their spark bond, Ratchet would know he was with the little femmes now. Maybe that knowledge would take the weight of worry off the medic.

"So you are designed to handle twins then?" First Aid asked Frenzy as they strode through the mountains. Since they'd left the roads, they had to traverse the rough terrain on peds. But their progression was hidden from aerial view by the enormous flora all around them.

"He, he, yep." Frenzy leapt up on the trunk of a truly giant felled tree. Her agile servos easily handling the challenge as she strolled along its length.

First Aid relaxed a little. He'd never delivered sparklings before. At least having an experienced femme – he'd have someone to teach him what to do prior to the event. He glanced up at the forest canopy, thanking Primus that it had been Ratchet who'd dealt with the first delivery.

"Over there!" Frenzy suddenly exclaimed. In a blur, she dashed off towards the base of an immense granite mountain. The rest of them struggled to keep pace with her…

As the excited femme wandered along the based, Beachcomber stared up at it in wonder. "Wow dude, this used to be the magma chamber of a totally huge volcano!" He scanned their surroundings, noting the massive cliffs all around the valley. They were all granite. Excitedly, he grabbed Wheeljack's arm, pointing it all out. "That chamber was like ten clicks long and two clicks wide! Wow!"

Beachcomber was in geologist heaven as he looked around him. The immense geologic activity of this world was simply breathtaking! To have the climate erode away a volcano as massive of a scale as the granite core indicated was simply unbelievable! Primus he hoped that this was going to be their hiding place…

Frenzy harrumphed as she found what she'd been searching for. Low on the face of the massive granite dome the humans called "Half Dome" was what appeared to be a naturally eroded shape embedded within it. But it was no natural formation. Every mature mech spotted it for what it was. It was a symbol in the language of the ancient Primes!

An electrical storm blew up just as they spotted it. The ground shook as the thunderbolts rolled overhead. Plasma energy in the form of thin streaks of lightning began to strike the enormous ball of granite.

"Wow! It's like a fraggin' lightning rod!" Wheeljack exclaimed. His digits tingled as he touched the electrified surface of the stone.

"So the source of energon is here?" Prowl asked Frenzy.

"That's what the he, he, he, AllSpark said. It's underground in some kind of maze," she replied. Her digits were working over the stone face, looking for the spot she knew was there somewhere.

Beachcomber studied the granite, his optics widening as he put two-and-two together. "Slag dudes! We were looking in the wrong places for energon!" He was almost dancing in excitement now that he realized how energon could be formed naturally….

"What do you mean Beachcomber?" Wheeljack asked.

"This type of rock is called Granite. It's filled with Quartz crystals. And if it turns into a lightning rod like these ones have…"

The inventor's optics got big. "And the crystals are big enough – they'll STORE the atmospheric energy as energon in their matrixes!" he finished for the geologist.

Frenzy smirked back at them, a look of triumph on her face plate as she found the spot. Slamming her hand into it, a cascade of energy washed over her as she was scanned. She'd known this would happen. Only one with Prime spark energy could open the protected portal. And with a new Prime spark growing within her – she fit the bill.

A mech-sized section of granite shimmered, and then disappeared as the holoimage vanished for a momentary time. The mechs slid in without a moment's hesitation. Their optics clicking to red as they all switched to infrared.

"Who dares to disturb me!" a deep voice rumbled through the passage.

Frenzy moved to the front of the group. Not even twitching in nervousness. "I Frenzy, Decepticon femme – carrier of the Prime sparkling – demand entrance and protection!"

A true giant of a mech appeared in front of them. Reaching down, he picked her up and studied her. His scans probing deeply into her very spark… He saw what the others could not. The very individual sparks growing from hers. She was carrying triplet Primes. A situation foretold in the ancient matrix. "Computron shall protect the mother spark," he stated, and set her back on her peds.

The great transformer then seemed to suddenly fall apart as his individual components split from each other. "A gestalt!" First Aid whispered under his breath. Not for the first time, he felt a pang of loneliness since he was separated from his own gestalt team mates.

"Indeed," one of the mechs replied as he landed lightly on his peds. He extended his hand to First Aid, recognizing him as another mech gestalt member. "Scattershot, leader of the Technobots," he introduced himself.

"Um, First Aid, medic of the Protectobots." A shy smile passed over his hidden face plate as he shook the ancient mech's hand.

"A medic? Thank Primus!" one of the others exclaimed. He grabbed the mech next to him and gave him a rough shove towards First Aid. "Strafe's got a serious glitch – if you know what I mean."

"Frag you Afterburner – YOU'RE the one with the issues!" Pulling free of his team mate's grip, Strafe turned and jumped him. The pair rolled across the granite, throwing punches and curses.

Another one of them rolled his optics and motioned for the new arrivals to follow him. "Just ignore them, they've been at each other's throats since we got stuck with this mission," he explained.

"I must go now," Barricade stated. She held her hand out expectantly to Frenzy. Her mission was done now. The unborn Primes and sparkling femmes were now secure. She could now go back for Sunstreaker.

"Its still a fool's errand for a worthless prize," Frenzy snorted. But she pulled something out of her subspace and slapped it into the cruiser's hand.

Barricade said nothing, simply nodding to the other femme. She turned to leave, but a hand stopped her. Turning, she met Prowl's steady optics.

"You have a spark of honor for doing this," he stated. His optics searched hers. He saw the same deep emotional connection to Sunstreaker that he once had for Jazz. "I will pray to Primus that you are successful."

"It is of greater importance that YOU are successful," she replied. They both knew she was being honest. The greater responsibility now lay on the Autobot cruiser's door wings.

He nodded to her, and was the only one to watch her disappear through the hidden portal…

------

_Note: unlike the official TF writers I try to use actual scientific basis for my theories on energon creation/sources. And with the 'bad' habit of watching Sci channel all the time – I can come up with some doozies! Half Dome is in Yosemite National Park. And all descriptions that Beachcomber gave for its creation are accurate to todays scientific theories. I've just added a little creative thoughts as to where all the energy from the lightning strikes might go. _

_BTW – sorry for the slight plot spoiler on the '09 movie. Since I'm running this time line concurrently with their's – what's happening in the movie will impact this story line. So as to who will be alive to come back into the third book in the 'Matter trilogy' – just watch the movie. _

--------


	5. Chapter 5

****Matter of Pride part 5****

'_They are secure?' _the One's voice filling her meta had an almost accusatory tone to it. She had disobeyed a direct order and it was obvious that he wasn't thrilled.

'_Affirmative. An ancient Autobot gestalt and four Autobot mechs now guard her,' _Barricade radioed back. Her voice was deep, back to its masculine mech format again – just as her alt mode was also in the original form she had assumed when first arriving on this planet. Barricade was now a 'full mech' once more…

There was a moment of silence as the unseen mech contemplated on the report. _'You disobey orders just for the sake of the twin?' _His unemotional tone seemed to almost have a twinge of emotion in it. Was it disbelief? Wonderment?

'_Affirmative Master.' _The interceptor knew better than to try and lie. The One was all-seeing all-knowing, and it was far better to be honest with him and face his minor wrath – than face the double-edged wrath of not only failure but dishonesty. The second type of wrath generally meant a very agonizing end to a femme. The One would protect femmes who stayed loyal to him – but those that didn't would be suddenly exposed for what they were… And their former Decepticon mech comrades made short work of gang banging them to death…

Once again there was silence for a while. Barricade drove on, continuing towards the Decepticon base even as she waited for her master's decision. Sure, she could run and try to hide. 'Try' was the key word, for no one remained hidden long from the long arm of One. All she could do was hope that he would come up with a scheme to use her attraction to Sunstreaker for his own use. Actually, that wouldn't bother her in the least. She'd been secretly controlled by One her entire existence – she knew no other life.

It was almost dark before One radioed his reply. His deep, emotionless tone filled her meta once more. _'You will be given the almost off-lined mech as a reward for the object you shall present to Megatron. Blind him into being loyal to you. I will ensure that Megatron shall find use in that loyalty.' _

'_As you command master, Barricade out.' _The cruiser was pleased that One now had a plan. She knew that he would already have most of the key players manipulated to his will before she even arrived. A deep rumble filled her as she chuckled in a dark tone, for neither Megatron nor their lord really knew who was actually in control of the Decepticons – did they? And they'd be shocked to know how easily manipulated they were. Yes, the femmes followed the true overlord… The true One…

-------

"You could learn a thing or two from one as loyal as Barricade, Starscream," Megatron smirked at the wing commander as the interceptor strode in and immediately prostrated himself before them.

The Seeker's optics narrowed as he spat at the ugly mech. In his hand he held a limp and dying hatchling. A waste of life… In disgust, he threw it, hitting Barricade's door wing with a solid thud. "He's nothing but one of your mindless minions. I think.. I plan… I see where our energies should be used!" Turning his optics back to Megatron, he snorted in disgust. "Without the AllSpark we cannot generate new full mechs! Without Energon we cannot grow the hatchlings that the Fallen generates! What is the use of this continued focus on the Autobots – when we shall become extinct in a single generation?!?" he shrieked.

In a blur of motion, Megatron stood, grabbed and threw the Seeker across the chamber. Starscream yelped in surprise as his wings crashed hard against the solid stone. Before he could react to even put up some type of defense, the barrel of a weapon was in his mouth. He glared at the smaller mech, but didn't dare move a servo. Barricade was notorious for shooting without thinking first. And to say that he and the cruiser didn't particularly care for each other was an understatement to say the least…

"If having a meta means that one is disloyal to our lord Megatron – than I prefer NOT to have the faulty piece of hardware," Barricade growled, his optics flaming in simmering rage. "My lord, permission to relieve this traitorous piece of slag of his faulty piece of hardware." He turned his head slightly so that he could just see his leader.

"No, we shall need him for cannon fodder soon," Megatron replied. "Perhaps after the battle I shall let you perform that alteration, and then you can enjoy his air frame at your leisure." His optics locked with Starscream's for a moment. It was no empty threat. Everyone knew of Barricade's penchance for necrophilia. In fact, it was so morally disturbing to even the deranged mentality of the Decepticons that no mech would even TOUCH the ugly cruiser. Granted, that was probably why Barricade ended up taking the almost off-lined captives as his temporary 'lovers' anyways. They never came out of his quarters still functioning, and the rumors were that he still 'used' their chassis' many cycles after their sparks had fled.

Barricade's lips curled into a smug smirk, pulling the weapon out of the Seeker's mouth and holding it against his helm, he brazenly took Starscream's lips. The action caused the Seeker to want to totally wrench, and even made Megatron a bit queasy himself.

But the leader would never admit to a weakness like that. It was more amusing to think of the torture Starscream was going through having Barricade's glossa in his mouth. Sitting back down on his throne, an evil smile crossed the tyrant's face plate. If Starscream didn't perform well in the coming conflict, perhaps he'd force the Seeker to suck the ghastly cruiser's transfer? Yes, that was a truly disgustingly wonderful idea! The Fallen was sure to appreciate such a 'show' – and none of the lower troops would ever give Starscream any respect after he'd done that act.

Now Megatron's meta was made up, and Starscream had better fight well! Though, maybe he'd make him perform the act regardless of his battlefield performance. Yes, yes… In front of all the troops… Megatron's smirk got even wider as his thoughts wandered into the realm of sadism. His optics watching the Seeker's air frame shudder in total revulsion at the invasive kiss from Barricade…

Finally, 'Cade released his lips. The cruiser lifted an arm just as they separated, smashing his fist into Starscream's face plate. "The dead kiss better than you, Seeker!" he taunted. In a flash, he was off of Starscream and once again back on his knees in front of Megatron.

Thoroughly degraded, Starscream wiped the dripping energon from his chin as he stood up. He'd off line that sick ugly freak one cycle. Off line him with a missile up his tail pipes! Without another word, he turned and stumbled out of the chamber.

"Ah, my ever loyal necrophiliac, it is good that you've returned!" Megatron purred. He slouched back on his throne, enjoying the feel of it while his own lord was absent. One cycle he would be the only lord of the Decepticons… One cycle…. And it was mechs like Barricade who would help him obtain that desirable position. "I have been informed that you found an item of interest." He held out his hand expectantly.

"Yes my lord Megatron." Barricade stood and pulled a small vial out of his subspace. Bowing his head in respect, he set the item in Megatron's hand.

Bringing it up to his optics, the tyrant turned it and watched the light glint off of it. "Yes, a fragment of the AllSpark. You've done well, very well." They'd be able to create a multitude of drones with this fragment. Drones that would be sent against the Autobots in order to wear them down before the final onslaught…

"My life is to please you, lord Megatron," the cruiser humbly replied. He was not known for bragging. He just simply did his job and did it above expectations. That's what made him one of the most trusted of Megatron's troops – and the most hated by the other troops.

"Hmmmmm, indeed. And you've done well." Megatron tucked the fragment safely into his subspace and turned his optics to the kneeling mech. Normally he'd allow such a loyal Decepticon the honor of pleasuring him, but even he couldn't tank the thought of allowing the necrophiliac to so much as touch his ped. So instead, he gave the mech a reward that he knew Barricade would more than enjoy. "There was an Autobot captured not long ago. There's not much left of him, but you may have what there is."

His normal sadistic smirk crossed his faceplate. Barricade dared to stand up again and meet his lord's optics. He licked his glossa over his lip components as if already savoring the last whimpers of his next dying lover. Deep inside though, the hidden femme smirked. It wasn't that she was into slaggin' the dead – but doing so had served a dual purpose: it had made every single Decepticon so thoroughly sickened that no one would dare touch her – and it had satiated her needs a little. Disguised Decepticon femmes were true masters of creating mech personas that were so disgusting, so horrifying in their perverted quirks – that no mech ever wanted to lay a hand on them. Exactly how they wanted it, to be sure….

To Megatron, he bowed with a 'Thank you my lord' and then took his leave…

-------

It wasn't hard for Barricade to locate Sunstreaker. The false mech simply followed the moans of passion. And they were great moans at that. Coming around the corner, he steeled himself for the sight he knew was there. Steeled himself to act as he normally would've.

"Ughhhhh! Ugghhhh!" Devastator rumbled, his helm thrown back against the stone behind him. He held what looked like some type of robotic doll in his hands, ruthlessly impaling him up and down on his enormous transfer. Working himself into a passionate fury as the gestalt mind prepared to spark bond with the hapless victim.

Sunstreaker's optics were barely lit. They stayed dull and unfocused. His filthy armor not even recognizable as yellow any more…. He made pitiful keening noises as he was impaled down on a transfer much too large for compatibility… His internal components ripped and dripped energon, which now coated that transfer.

His meta processor was fragmented past conscious thoughts. Between the endless cycles of severe torture – then rape – back to torture, and the fact he'd not been allowed any time for proper defragmentation – he was well past his breaking point. All he knew was pain and agony now. His thoughts swirled in a cyclone of meaningless fragments. There was no future no past for him anymore. There was no existence… No reality other than the incoming sensory load of constant agony.

His very spark was fragmenting now. The constant bombardment of fiery Decepticon sparks flooding into him… Attacking his very soul… Sheared pieces from its core… Now they also swirled in chaos.. Unable to recombine into a whole spark again without rest.. But there was no rest.. No chance for recombination. Throwing his helm back, he screamed in an animalistic wail as the entire gestalt thrust their fire inside him. His very core shattering in their wake….

A cruiser watched dispassionately from the sidelines. Leaning his door wings up against the stone wall, his face plate was completely devoid of anything one could call remotely emotional. Crossing his arms over his hood, he patiently waited for the gestalt to be done with his prize.

"Finally back I see," a deep voice noted.

Barricade turned his optics towards the speaker. "Affirmative. I see you've been called back as well."

Blackout nodded, his rotors flexing just slightly in annoyance as another pitiful wail filled the area. "And they didn't even leave me a piece of him," he snorted with a nod towards the action. That's what sucked about being one of the forward scouts – there were never any rewards left over when you got back to base. Unless a mech preferred to slag the silent corpses left over; which obviously was why the other scout was standing around waiting…. "Mind letting me have a go before you take him?" he asked. He and Barricade had an unspoken agreement about this; As long as 'Cade let him have a piece here-and-there – he'd actually help him on the battlefield if necessary.

Barricade turned his optics back to the wailing form of Sunstreaker. To say 'no' to Blackout's request would lead to suspicion. Above all else, he had to maintain his cover, which meant that he'd have to share the mech just once before taking full ownership. So he nodded.

The remnants of the yellow mech slid off Devastator as the combiner went limp in overload, his transfer depressurizing and slipping out of the mech with a sickly sucking sound…. Sunstreaker fell to the ground with a crash, now so weak that his groans weren't much more than gasps.

Barricade smirked and uncrossed his arms. They were now all done with Sunstreaker, and what was left of him – had been given to him by none other than Megatron himself. Straightening himself, the cruiser turned to collect his reward. Blackout right behind him.

"Still into them dead uns," a voice snickered from behind them.

With a growl, the cruiser turned to face the annoyance. He knew just how to handle the Combaticon. "Unless you're giving me an offer, hmmmm?" He pointedly scanned Swindle's chassis as if he desired him.

He hated it when Barricade did this! Made him feel queasy! Shaking his head frantically, he backed away from the freak. Last time he hadn't been quick enough, and Barricade had managed to throw him against a wall and almost raped him. "Nah, just made a bet – that's all."

Blackout snickered, more than enjoying the Combaticon's discomfort. Not that he'd ever lower himself to slag the necrophiliac either… Some things were simply below any Decepticon…

Barricade smirked, going over to the weakly groaning mech, he picked him up and rather roughly threw him over his shoulder armor. "I assume you bet that I still enjoy the dead," he stated darkly.

"Of course. Didn't think you'd changed much," the Combaticon grinned. His optics danced over Sunstreaker's battered chassis, almost wishing he'd get another go with the captive. The Autobot had been fun and full of spite those first few day cycles. It'd been fun to listen to him curse while he screamed – as con after con had shoved their transfers into his tail pipe. Now that he'd been given to the necrophiliac, no one would get another go around. "How much you want – for a few astrominutes with him?" he asked.

The cruiser snorted, narrowing his optics. "I'll take five creds – but that's for me slaggin YOU." He gave the jeep a crude suggestive wink.

Swindle's face plate heated up at the same time that his fuel tank tried to reflux. "Uh, I'll take that as a 'no'," he said. He glanced at Blackout, slightly miffed that the cruiser would 'share' with him – but nobody else. Perhaps the rumors were true? That they were in fact – spark mates. Take a sicko to be spark mated to a necro.. Blackout did fit that bill though. And now they were both giving him a rather lewd once-over. Turning, he took off as fast as he could. Last thing he wanted – was TWO sickos raping his tail pipes!

"Combaticons are such idiots," Barricade muttered under his breath. Securing his grip on the barely conscious mech laying over his shoulder, he marched towards his quarters.

"Agreed," Blackout nodded with a conniving smirk.

-------

"Hold him," Blackout said as Barricade tossed the limp form down on his berth. Reaching down, the black mech casually forced Sun's legs against his shoulder plates, exposing his ripped port for his attentions.

Barricade kept his face emotionless as he sat down on his berth and tossed his legs over Sunstreaker's hood. This would be the last time the Autobot would have to suffer having a Decepticon's spark flaming over his. The last time…. The cruiser swore to himself.

Without even bothering to lubricate his shaft, Blackout plunged it into the groaning mech, pumping away furiously.

Sunstreaker's dazed optics widened at the renewed invasion. He rolled his helm from side-to-side, a piteous wail filling the room.

"Uggg, ugh, he's more functional than your normal ugh ugh acquisitions," Blackout noted as he thrust. His shaft was coated with more energon and hydraulic fluid – than mech lubricant. A telling sign that his victim's port was heavily damaged from all the use and abuse it had been put through. But he didn't care; all he needed was some release.

Barricade merely nodded his agreement. If he spoke, he might not be able to keep his true emotions from seeping into his voice.

"Take it! Grrr Take it!" Blackout swiftly reached his climax. His spark energy ripped through the filthy slave mech, causing Sunstreaker's chassis to arch slightly as the agony flowed over him.

Barricade waited until Blackout rebooted and left, before he resettled the barely conscious mech back on the berth. "That was the last one my pet," he whispered as he touched Sun's bruised lips with an almost gentle digit. "Now only I shall have you," he promised.

The world swirled around him, images coming and going in rapid succession. Sunstreaker groaned as he felt hands on his battered chassis. Invasive hands that dove into every torn servo and linkage…. His processors screamed for him to go into defrag. It was a desperate situation. He was 90% fragmented. No conscious thoughts could be put together right now. But if he deactivated and went into defragmentation, his firewalls would go down. Not that they'd done him much good, but it was instinct to try and keep them up against the invading sparks… The ever invading sparks that were thrust into him..

"You are mine. Begin defragmentation processes," a deep mech voice ordered.

Bits of his protective armor were now being removed. His raw sensory networks now completely exposed for more torture. Sunstreaker shook his head weakly from side-to-side. "P… lease… do… an..y.. thing… no… no…no," he stammered. It was so hard to piece words together now. They seemed to dance in front of his meta, forcing him to lunge for each one before they'd come out.

"Begin defragmentation," the voice ordered.

It was familiar to the Autobot. He'd heard it many times on the battlefield. Sunstreaker tried to sort through the fragments of memory files. Tried to ID the voice…. A blurry image came to his meta. Like a digital TV who's signal is being blocked and broken by heavy rain… The image of…. Of… Bar? Was it Bar? But that didn't seem right… He couldn't piece the entire name together from all the fragments swirling around… "B – Bar?" he stammered. His optics couldn't even focus now, all he could see was a blurry outline. The programs to process the data were too fragmented…

"Affirmative, begin defragmentation."

He felt the disembodied voice flow over him like a commanding wave. Then digits inside him… The mech manually forcing him into meta stasis lock… Forcing him into defragmentation… "N…noooooooooo" his voice drifted off as his optics darkened.

Barricade looked down at the battered mech. Sliding his digits down, he forced the limp leg units apart and slid his digits deep inside. He was torn badly. But if given enough time, the rips coated in enough silicon repair gel – internal repair nets could fix the problem.

Pulling his digits out, he turned his attention onto the retracted transfer unit. Teasing the shaft out, a frown crossed his face plate as he saw the evidence of electrical diode torture. Didn't surprise him though, Decepticons loved to loop wires around limbs and transfers and watch the mech 'dance' in agony when they turned on the current.

With little outward emotion, the cruiser picked up the pile of filthy armor. Strolling over to the automatic washing unit, he dumped the load in and turned it on. It would easily take three full cycles to get all the offal off of it. Granted, it would take longer than that for the mech's processors to fully defragment as well.

He turned back to the naked mech lying on the berth. There were several methods he could use to fill the damaged port with the silicon gel. But he must remember to stay within character. There was no telling what kind of monitoring devices might be installed in his quarters. He could not say or do anything that might blow his cover.

Striding up to the still form, he ran his digits gently along the bare wires. "You are mine now Sunstreaker. No one else shall have you," he re-iterated. Just as much to hear it himself – as for those whom might be watching. He had built a reputation of being particularly possessive of his 'lovers'. Granted, this was the first 'lover' who would survive the ordeal. The others, Barricade had actually shown mercy and put them out of their misery as they begged him to. That's why he'd always played with the dead.

Barricade turned Sunstreaker onto his side, bending his legs so that his port was exposed. Fluids still seeped from him, dripping slowly down to the floor, creating a macabre painting of pain. The cruiser seemed unconcerned though. Reaching up, he grabbed a tube of what looked like lube. Activating his transfer, he liberally coated its length. Climbing onto the berth next to Sunstreaker, he curled his chassis around him, slowly pressing deep inside him.

His other hand still coated with the silica repair gel, Barricade once again teased out the mech's transfer. He began to stroke its length in time with his slow deliberate thrusts inside the damaged port. What no watching mech could see or know was that his transfer was a false one. Created from a medical probe, and as the cruiser gently thrust, he activated its healing energy field – all the while slowly spreading the silica gel inside the port. The probe helped to activate the mech's internal repair systems, the gel supplying the raw materials needed to patch the tears. So as 'Cade apparently 'slagged' his unconscious new pet – he was in fact helping him to heal.

"Geese, that mech's a disgusting little bastard," Thundercracker muttered as he shut off the image on the screen. He couldn't handle watching the sicko slag the Autobot toy to death.

"Yeah, didn't he slag the last one for like two full shifts straight?" Dirge snickered. He raised an optic ridge as he looked at his wingmate.

"After he already off lined the freager. Sicko mech." The blue Seeker felt like he was going to spew some of his energon at the memory of watching THAT on the monitors.

"Can't understand a rust bucket who doesn't want to hear them scream. No fun slaggin' a manikin," Dirge leaned back and put his arms behind his helm. "Well, at least we had fun being the first to break in the toy."

"Yeah, maybe we'll catch a couple more soon." Thundercracker's face plate lit up as he thought about future fun. All thoughts of the yellow mech left his meta…

------

The world began to brighten a bit. Sunstreaker wiggled his digits a little as his optics brightened. Much of the haze was now gone from them. Running an automatic scan, he noted that he was now only 60% fragmented. Well, at least that was better than 90%.

His sensory grids came back on line. That's when he felt the warm chassis snuggled up against the naked circuits along his back… Felt the penetration of a hard shaft which slowly moved in and out of him. But the agony was no more. A numbness filled his port. He still felt the slight soreness of raw rips within him. But an energy field was soothing him from the inside. The mech behind him stopped his movements for a moment, just the tip of his transfer within Sunstreaker's port. The sound of lubricant being spread, then the shaft slid back inside him. The numbing warmth spread through his port as the silicon gel coated him thickly again, causing Sunstreaker to moan in a mixture of relief and unexpected pleasure.

"Mmmm, you reactivate, this is good," a deep voice noted.

Sunstreaker felt digits curl a little more tightly around his extended transfer then. He hadn't even realized it had been out! Looking down, he saw a familiar arm over his side.. A familiar hand slid along his length in slow strokes, coating it yet more thickly with the same repair gel that was being used as lubricant in his port. Delving into his memory banks, Sunstreaker ID'd the mech from the battlefield. "Barricade," he whispered. He didn't want to turn and look at the ugly mech. Didn't want to admit that he could feel pleasure under his hands. But why was the mech doing this?!? Why wasn't he linking inside him and thrusting his fiery spark mercilessly into his?!?

"Affirmative," Barricade replied in an emotionless tone. "Do you recall the last time we met?"

Was this a trick question? Was the Decepticon going to gloat about him now being a slave? Sunstreaker gnawed on his lower lip for a moment, trying to deny the warm waves going through his networks from Barricade's actions. "Sector 5.76-7.8, Sideswipe and I intercepted you during one of your spy missions." He didn't want to say that he'd so thoroughly whooped the cruiser that he'd figured he was off lined. Somehow he just knew that this wasn't a good time to brag about past victories. Being a slave, armorless, naked and still very weak and damaged – might have something to do with that.

He fought the urge for a moment, but his natural inclination to gloat took over. He may be beaten and broken – but he was still proud damnit! "Yeah, we whooped you so bad – I'm surprised you're still around to slag me while I'm down and out," he weakly snickered. He tried to wiggle away from the cruiser, but he was just too damaged.

Barricade arched an optic ridge at his gloating. After all that had been done to him – he still had spirit? He was actually tougher than he had first thought. It made him yet that much more attractive. "It's who wins in the end that matters, not a single battle – do you not agree?" he taunted. He nipped that tasty neck, enjoying Sun's gasp.

"We haven't lost the war… Mmmm… You'll be my captive… Mmmm.. Just wait and see." Sunstreaker stubbornly refused to give in completely to the warm numbing sensation. Stubbornly refused to admit that he was fully defeated…

Barricade curled his other hand under the naked mech, his digits now stroking the surface of his exposed spark chamber. Sunstreaker tried to block him, but his efforts were in vain. He arched against the cruiser, almost overcome by the triage of pleasure sensations washing over his abused nets.

"You've always wanted me bent over in front of you. Hmm Sun?" Barricade's digits became firmer against the chamber. "I've known this, Seen the lust in your optics when we locked in combat."

"Mmmmm f-frag you!" Sunstreaker's words came out as a strained whisper. He arched his back linkages, encouraging the cruiser to sink deeper within him. His aversion to feeling pleasure from a Decepticon – rapidly being overwhelmed by the intensity of the triage on his nets…

Barricade increased his speed, grinning wickedly as the damaged mech cried out and went limp. He didn't stop though. His pace slowed back to its steady rhythm as he waited for the quick reboot.

Sunstreaker sighed as he came back online. His chassis very relaxed now. His grid lines tingling all over in the afterglow… But the cruiser was still pumping away.. His passion seemingly insatiable.. "What do you want from me?" he whispered. Barricade had to want something right? Why else would he be slaggin' him using repair gel for lubricant, and doing it so gentle that Sun was actually overloading from it?

"You," Barricade simply stated.

Trembling terribly now, Sunstreaker tried to control his over-sensitized networks. Most mechs needed a break between rebooting and slaggin' again for this very reason. They had to reset.

The cruiser seemed to take notice of his problem though. Pulling out, he grabbed Sun's leg and forced it back over his own leg. Then he positioned his slick transfer to lie against Sunstreaker's circuits, its length rubbing along the underside of Sun's transfer. "Stroke us for a moment," he ordered.

Knowing he had little choice in the matter, Sun reached his hands down between his legs and began to stroke both transfers. His sensory grids began to settle down as Barricade gave him some blessed recovery time. He yelped a bit when the cruiser decided he'd had enough rest, and thrust back inside him. "Damn it, I need more time!" he pleaded.

Keeping his thrusts barely going, Barricade forced him to wrap his digits around his own transfer and begin to stroke in time again. "You are mine to do with as I please. I did not have to give you a break at all." He nipped his audio panel. "Say 'yes master'," he ordered. This was what he'd be expected to do. So anyone watching would be smirking evilly… Barricade could almost picture them…

"Frag you," Sunstreaker moaned.

Barricade forced the mech to squeeze his own transfer too tightly. He hated to do this, but it would look like a typical 'con' thing to do – to whoever might be watching the affair. "What do you say?" he prodded.

Wincing at the reminder of how damaged his transfer was, Sun desperately tried to jerk his hand away from the cruiser's control. All he ended up doing was locking himself in a vice – with Barricade's digits forcing his to bear down on himself without mercy. "I…. I'll … never…. Akkkkkk!"

"Say it," he ordered.

For a few more moments, Sunstreaker held up the defiance, but he was already so beaten down from the time he'd spent with the other Decepticons – it didn't take much longer.. "Yes…. Yes master." His shoulders drooped as he gave in.

The pain was immediately gone. Barricade stopped for a moment to add some more gel to both hand and transfer, and then continued the molesting of his pet.

"What happened when you arrived here on this planet?" he asked. His strokes and thrusts back in slow steady rhythm.

Sunstreaker narrowed his optics, trying to concentrate and find those memory files. He remembered hitting the ground hard, the pod opening, finding an alt mode to scan – but nothing else! Nothing! "I…. I guess I was captured right when I scanned alt mode," he stammered. He couldn't believe that he had no memories of the actual battle. Surely he'd fought hard?!?

"Affirmative." Barricade was pleased, very pleased. This mech kept his oaths. He didn't even know that he was in fact – a femme. "You are enjoying my attentions," he taunted, giving the naked mech a nibble on his exposed neck region.

"No I'm not!" Sunstreaker weakly growled. He tried to wiggle out of the cruiser's grip, but couldn't. The small amount of energy it took to struggle caused him to gasp in exhaustion as he collapsed again. The effort barely even changed the slow steady strokes and thrusts of Cade.

The cruiser nibbled on his audio panel again, causing waves of pleasure to crash over the captive. "You do not have to admit what you feel. Your response is enough."

The weak mech trembled as his audio panel was targeted with surprisingly gentle nips. What was Barricade's game?!? He'd already brought him to overload once. Already proven he was in total control! "W … Why don't you just do it!" he tried to snarl in between moans.

"Do what?" Barricade flicked the tip of the mech's transfer just so, causing Sun to moan and shudder against him.

"Force your spark on me….mmmmm… Like everyone else has… mmmmm," Sunstreaker couldn't help it, sliding his hand down; he curled his digits weakly around Barricade's again. Shivers went through him as he followed those wonderful strokes.

"I do not share my spark," Barricade growled in his audio. He nibbled that wonderful neck some more. He had spoken the truth. He did not 'share' his spark with mechs, for the simple fact that 'his' transfer was in fact fake – thus, he couldn't thrust his spark through it even if he wanted to.

His core lightened. The fear of spark invasion lessening a bit…. Sunstreaker relaxed a bit more against the cruiser, his spark beginning to pulse a little more evenly now that it was being given the time to recombine itself and heal. Barricade's strokes sped up a bit, and for the second time, Sunstreaker felt true pleasure flow over him. He gasped as shut down sequences began. His chassis shuddering against the strong cruiser's.

--------

"Have it cleaned up before I return," Barricade ordered. He tossed the mech a cloth and nodded at the puddle of fluids staining the floor.

Sunstreaker cringed in pain as he tried to sit up. "I'm too weak," he argued as he collapsed back down.

Striding up to him, Barricade smacked him hard across his face plate. "You shall refer to me as 'master' – and I accept no excuses!" he snarled.

As the door slammed shut and locked, Sunstreaker looked down at the rag in his hand. "Eat slag – master!" he muttered weakly. With a disgusted sigh, he rolled himself off of the berth, landing onto the ground with a thud. Crawling weakly on his hands and knees, he slowly got the mess cleaned up.

Then he curled up on the hard floor, unable to get back on the berth. "Sideswipe," he whispered as tears filled his optics, "I'll get back to you somehow… Somehow…." For a little while he allowed himself to feel sorry for himself – but then shook it off. He'd been a gladiator.. He was strong… He was tough… He'd find a way to survive! Find a way outta this mess!

Before to long, he'd drifted off into a restless defrag cycle. His meta being overwhelmed by horrifying memory echoes…

----

"Let me go!" he screamed as Devastator picked him up. Struggling weakly, he fought as best he could under the conditions. But a hard hit across his face plate ended his struggles. The real pain encroaching into the memory echo, forcing him out of defrag. He blinked in confusion a few times, finding himself cradled in the cruiser's arms.

Barricade glared at him, as he unceremoniously dropped him back on the berth. "Memory echoes," he snorted in contempt, "You Autobots show such weakness."

Sunstreaker grimaced as he rolled onto his side and watched the mech check on the progress of his armor cleaning. He couldn't help it that he had residual memory glitches from the abuse he'd suffered. Any normal mech would suffer as well. It was pointless to argue with the cold interceptor. Barricade wouldn't care anyways. So Sun figured he should change the subject. "Is my armor finally clean?" he asked. Then as an afterthought he added "master."

The cruiser glanced back at him, just as he punched in the codes for another cycle. "negative."

"Frag it," Sun muttered and lay his helm on top of his crossed arms. He didn't want to think of how many layers of oil, hydraulic fluid, energon and stone dust was now on his once-beautiful armor. Didn't want to remember all the acts of degradation he'd been put through to create those layers upon layers.

Barricade glared at him.

"Wasn't talking about you – master," Sunstreaker quickly explained. He didn't really feel like getting whacked across the face plate again.

"Turn over onto your back," the cruiser ordered as he came over to the berth.

The Autobot considered it, not sure if he really wanted to. "Aren't you ever satisfied," he snorted, "uh master," he added with a smirk as he went ahead and rolled over.

"Negative," Barricade replied coldly. He climbed up onto the berth, forcing Sun's legs apart with his own. He tried to bend down and kiss his pet, but Sun stubbornly turned his face away. "Kiss me," the cruiser snarled.

"Go kiss yourself – master," Sun spat. Sure, he was going to get slagged. But he could make sure that Barricade knew darned well that he didn't want too!

Grabbing his helm, Barricade forced him to turn and face him again. "The sooner you face the fact that I'm your master – the easier your life shall be." His tone was dark, commanding….

Sunstreaker shot him a smug smile. "The sooner you realize that I'll NEVER do this willingly – the easier your life will be… master."

The cruiser sighed in exacerbation; he hadn't expected the mech's spirit to be totally unfazed by the torture. He was a very rare one indeed! So, it was time to try another tact – still within Decepticon parameters of course. Barricade gently stroked his helm, allowing his optics to soften. "You obey me willingly – or I give you back to the others," he threatened.

The mech studied him with critical optics. He really doubted that Barricade was bluffing. His smug smile shifted to an unhappy frown. "Anyone ever tell you that you're as romantic as a rusted screw? Master," he replied.

Barricade's lips curled up into a grin, exposing his jagged dental plates in a horrific rendition of a true smile, which looked more like a wolf bearing down on his kill…. "Romance is for weakling Autobots," he snorted.

Sunstreaker ran his digit tips over the mech's hood. Since he was trapped into doing this, might as well make the best of it. "It's a way to ensure that your partner stays willing – master." He gave the mech a smile that would melt most sparks.

Didn't melt Barricade's though – at least not outwardly… The hidden femme sensed that Sun was testing his limits.. Looking for any possible weakness that he could exploit.. Perhaps he would allow him to 'find' one? Yes, make Sunstreaker think he had an opening. "I've never had a 'willing' mech," he whispered in a low tone, his lips so close to Sun's audio panels that they brushed the surface lightly. "Most run from me," his optics softened a bit, as if he was actually showing a slight bit of sadness – perhaps even loneliness? Before rapidly hardening back to their normal state of harshness. "Which is how I prefer!" his whisper changed to a growl. Taking Sunstreaker's lips in a harsh kiss, he ground his chassis hard into him.

Tensing at the onslaught, Sunstreaker's thoughts flew as he was ravaged. It wasn't as bad as being with any of the other cons. Barricade was demanding – but his attentions were not painful. He even stopped for a moment to coat his shaft in a thick layer of silicon repair gel prior to thrusting mercilessly inside him.

Sun let his reactions flow with the action. His meta watching for any more indications from the mech. Those simple words of never having a willing partners, of never sharing his spark – It was obvious to Sun that the cruiser was hurting deeply inside. He'd probably allowed him to live to try and fill that void for a little while.

As the astrohours passed, the cruiser enjoying his port with long steady strokes… Sunstreaker thought hard – in between the wonderful overloads. Could he gain Barricade's complete trust? Could he show the Decepticon what life really could be? And in doing so – regain his freedom?

With a grin, Barricade forced Sunstreaker's arms up over his helm. He secured them with handcuffs to rings sunk into the wall. "You look quite at home like this," he purred as he sat up on bent legs, grabbing Sun's hip servos, lifting him up so that he could thrust more deeply into him.

The yellow mech smiled up at his captor, weakly arching against him. "What can I, mmmmm, say? I'm so gorgeous that, mmmmmm, everyone wants to slag me." His optics rolled back into his head as another overload flowed over his networks.

Barricade stopped as he went limp. Cocking his head, he chuckled deeply as he ran his hands over the naked mech. "You're a piece of work Sunstreaker. Completely unbroken after all that has happened." He pulled out of the mech, his false transfer retracting back inside him. Shifting Sun's frame, he lay down and curled around him, setting his helm on one of his raised up arms so that their face plates were so close they almost touched. The more he 'had' Sunstreaker, the more he was amazed at the mech's spirit, and the more he was falling in love.

The meta game he was playing with him… Yes, both would win in the end. Sunstreaker would gain his freedom and a new comrade to fight at his side – and Barricade would feel the growth of life within her spark. A smile crossed the fake male's face plate as he softly stroked the surface of Sun's spark chamber. Sunstreaker seemed much more accepting of an ugly mech taking him – than an ugly femme. It would be interesting to see how he would react when he finally got to thrust his transfer into 'Cade's tail pipes – only to realize that he was sinking inside a femme's receiver.

Not long after Barricade's optics went dark in defrag, Sun's brightened in reboot. He wiggled his digits a bit, realizing quickly that he'd been left handcuffed. Shifting a bit under the weight pressing down against him, he glanced down at the mech curled around him. An unusual peaceful expression was on the harsh interceptor's face plate. Sunstreaker studied him for a while. Yeah, he sure was ugly, but considering what Decepticons did to good looking mechs – he could kind've understand why the mech might prefer to look so bad.

He shifted his view a bit. Yeah, Ratchet might be able to do something about the guy's face plate. He just had to find a way to convince the mech to switch sides. And as lonely and desperate as he now knew Barricade was – he was sure he could make him fall for him. A mech would do anything for the one he loved – right?

-----

_Note: Ok, mind went straight to the gutter. But if you guys like the demented mind/smut game saga this has turned into – leave a review.. _

_BTW: Matter of Pride is not a cowrite. Since BB isn't in it - PAW07 is not working with me on this one... It's all me (evil demented snicker..)_


	6. Chapter 6

****Matter of Pride part 6****

"Why?" Sunstreaker slowly sat up. His linkages and servos still burned like fire. With a gasp of pain, he leaned against the wall, his peds hanging limply over the side of the berth. Because he wasn't being repaired by a medic, it was going to take quite a while for his internal repair functions to 'heal' him from within. Though he was much stronger than even just last shift… Opening the bottle in his hand, he gulped down the contents. Cringing in disgust as the mix of hydraulic fluids, lubricants and metal ions slid down his throat. They tasted horrible when mixed like this – especially being low grade stuff. His systems would sort them out and direct them where needed…

"Because you are now my property. No one else dares touch you," the cruiser explained. Sticking his hand inside the washer, he pulled out a piece of the yellow armor. Studying it, his face plate screwed up in a scowl of disgust. Throwing it back inside, he punched the buttons to start another cycle.

"But why are you repairing me?" the mech pressed. Cocking his helm, he gave the stoic cruiser an expectant look. The last thing he'd ever expected was to find gentleness and caring in the Decepticon camp, especially with the notoriously fanatical Barricade being the one to show it. Granted, that 'gentleness' came with a repair-gel coated transfer gliding in and out of him for shifts on end – but it was still there.

Barricade stopped and gave him a rather odd look. The expression swiftly changed to the normal emotionless poker face. "Because if I'm to allow a pet to live – then he must be fully functional in order to satiate my needs," his tone of voice told Sunstreaker to stop pressing.

Sunstreaker watched the mech head for the door. "It's because I'm gorgeous when I'm repaired isn't it? You've always wanted me," he snorted confidently. Barricade wouldn't be the first mech to desire him – or the last.

The cruiser smirked; Sunstreaker couldn't have been more on the mark if he'd tried. Granted, the mech just thought it was another mech crush. Let him believe that for now. He'd learn that it was actually Barricade's desire to have his sparklings which drove her. But 'she' was a 'he' for now, and that's exactly how he was going to act. Striding up to the naked mech, Barricade slapped him hard across his face plate. "Do not think that I give a damn about how someone looks. I will have you – dead or alive – it makes no difference to me," he threatened.

His hand over his busted olfactory sensor, Sunstreaker stared in horror at the mech. "You… You slag the dead?!?" he stammered.

'Cade shrugged dismissively. The mech might as well truly understand his life. Understand why he preferred to be ugly and 'twisted'. "They do not argue nor backstab," he said as he punched the code to open the door. Turning for a brief moment, his optics met Sun's. "And it keeps other Decepticons from ever desiring me," he finished.

Sunstreaker's mouth hung open in shock for long astrominutes after the door closed. To slag the dead because your comrades were THAT horrible to each other – wow…. Barricade's life must really suck exhaust. After he thought about that for a while, the sound of the wash cycle completing caught his audios. On shaky peds, Sunstreaker staggered over to the unit and opened it.

"Slag, they really fucked up my paint job," he muttered in disgust as he studied his hood panel. Sliding it back in, he let the wash cycle for yet another round, not even wanting to think of all the degrading things the other Decepticons had wiping his aft in.

Staggering back to the berth, he glanced at the storage unit next to it. Fiddling with it, he soon realized that it wasn't locked. Curiously, he opened cupboard after cupboard, inspecting all of the contents. A selection of colored protective waxes caught his optics. Pulling one out, he turned it over in his hands as he lay back down on the heavy rubber cushions.

Barricade seemed the lonely type. Sure, he hid it behind that tough exterior, but he had to be lonely. Why else would he keep a captive alive – much less actually help his systems fully recover? Opening the can, Sun stuck the tip of one digit in before closing it again. He rubbed his digit-tips together for a while as he though. The comforting feel of wax sliding between them made it easier for him to think. Yes, the cruiser had to be lonely. And maybe, just maybe, if he played his cards right – he'd gain Barricade's trust. Perhaps – even more?

------

"You look like slag. How can you stand to function in THAT condition?" Sunstreaker snorted in disgust as Barricade came in. He pointed scanned the cruiser's chassis up-and-down, like an artist not happy with what he sees…

The cruiser arched an optic ridge, looking at his 'pet' in bemusement. He was sounding more like his old self each shift. "You dare to speak like that to your master!" he snarled, approaching the naked mech with his fists balled. He had to make this look good – Megatron could be watching.

The Autobot smirked and held up the can of colored wax. "Well, ahem, master – you are duller than a piece of rusted slag." His cocky grin told the cruiser that he'd meant to rile him up a bit.

Stopping in his tracks, Barricade relaxed his hands. "You should've been a Decepticon with remarks such as that," he shot back.

Shrugging, Sun patted his lap. "What can I say, master – the Autobots pay better." He made sure to add the 'master' on as if it were nothing but an afterthought. He'd never consider Barricade his 'master' – they both knew it.

Ok, he was still an amusingly egotistical tail pipe. Barricade was actually glad that he hadn't been spirit broke – even if he was a diode. "Am I to assume that you are offering to improve the condition of my paint job?" He made sure to shoot him a suspicious glare.

Sun pointed to his neck, the remote controlled shock collar still secured snugly around it. "Well, since I'm still stuck in this hell hole – might as well try and make the mech who's slaggin' me, a little more presentable – master."

Barricade smirked and lay across his thighs. "As long as we have an understanding," he mumbled as Sun spread the wax over his door wings.

"Yeah, that I'd rather be slagged by one ugly mech – then every ghastly mech in the Decepticon ranks… Master," the yellow mech snickered. He was actually being honest though.

----

"Much better," Barricade stated, his tone not giving much of an indication as to what he really felt though.

Steadying himself with a hand against the wall, Sunstreaker slowly turned for him, showing off the gleaming armor that once again graced his chassis. "Much better? Master – I'm the best looking mech that has ever set a ped in this hole in the ground!" His olfactory sensor went high into the air as he gave the mech one of his most cocky grins. It was kind've good having 'Cade as one's 'master', since the mech didn't seem to mind him being his natural quick glossa'd. In fact, the interceptor seemed to like the constant banter back-and-forth between them.

Predictably, the cruiser snorted. Leaning back against the wall, he scanned the mech's gleaming chassis. "And that's the very reason you almost got slagged to pieces. Not something I'd be bragging about," he shot back.

Sunstreaker shrugged, "Rather be gorgeous and dead – than aft ugly and functioning… Master."

"You still haven't learned the advantage of staying in the darkness, unnoticed and unbothered." Barricade's jagged dental plates glinted in the harsh artificial light as his lips curled up in a sarcastic smirk.

"Maybe the life for you – but not me… Master," Sunstreaker retorted. He posed in a sensuous manner, knowing it would drive the mech mad with desire again.

"How do the Autobots stand an arrogant piece of slag like you?" The cruiser leaned back slightly, activating his transfer and curling his digits around it.

"Because they all desire me as much as my 'master' does," Sun's smug smile widened as the cruiser began to self interface just looking at him. Before he'd been captured and almost slagged to death by every ghastly con in the sector – he would've been quite horrified to have a mech as ugly as Barricade doing that while he watched him. Not now though, he was actually pleased that he controlled the mech's desire like this. As long as he kept the mech's interest – he had a chance to escape this life of slavery! And he was determined to keep that interest.

"Play with yourself Pet, give me a show," Barricade ordered, his voice becoming low with renewed desire.

Still weak, Sunstreaker propped himself up on the desk across from the berth. In a deliberately slow strip show, he shed himself of his codpiece. Wiggling his digits towards Barricade, he got the mech to toss him the repair gel they used for lube. Coating his digits, he then began to work them in his port, assuming that's what the mech desired to watch.

"No, your transfer Pet," 'Cade moaned. One of his hands slid around his own transfer, finding the opening of his port.

Sun's optics widened slightly in surprise. Ever since he'd woken up to find himself trapped on 'Cade's berth – he'd only seen the mech use his transfer. It was like the guy had forgotten he had a tail pipe. Wait-a-second! Barricade wouldn't share his spark. Sunstreaker's transfer pressurized at the thought. The mech was likely a virgin in that realm…

His own optics filled with honest lust as he considered the potential of it. If he could convince Barricade to let him slag him, their sparks would merge as Sun's flowed into the Decepticon. The first spark bond was a strong link between mechs. Sun should know – he was still heavily linked to Sideswipe. This link could give him some measure of power over the other.

He watched as Barricade moaned, his digits sinking within that slick opening. The mech watching him with an equal intensity as he stroked his taunt shaft… Did Sunstreaker really want to go that far? Was his spark recombined enough for it? Was there any other way to force a relationship with the lonely cruiser? The golden mech gnawed on his lower lip as he considered it all. He'd met the cruiser in battle more times than he could count. Respected him somewhat for his cunningness, strength and bravery…. He'd never in a million orbit cycles thought that he'd ever be in this position. As the one with all the experience, yet still a slave to the other. But through that very experience – lay his chance at freedom.

Yes, if he could get the mech to spark bond with him. He had little doubt Barricade would be his to control. He remembered those early cycles being spark linked with Sideswipe. Remembered how controlling the bond was….. A virgin like 'Cade wouldn't stand a chance against it. In fact, he'd actually become Sunstreaker's 'bond slave' for the first few cycles. His meta and spark would be consumed in desperation to continually reconnect to Sun's spark.

Sun's face plate furrowed a bit as he considered the consequences of taking the mech like that. If he did, and ended up converting the con to the Autobot side; what would the other Autobots say when he strolled up with the Decepticon at his side? Would he be made into a laughing stock for actually bonding with the ugly mech – or be praised for looking past it and bringing another great fighter into their ranks? He knew his twin would give him hell over it. But he was used to Sideswipe doing that. The other Autobots though… The leaders… Yes, they would praise him – he was sure of it!

Barricade stared with lust-filled optics as the mech stroked his huge shaft. The hidden femme had always wanted him in this position. Wanted him to 'willingly' take her. But was it too soon? Would it blow her mech cover? Could Sunstreaker keep his mouth shut and continue playing the act of subservient slave bot after finding out her greatest secret? On the other hand, would thinking that she was possibly the last femme alive – make him more tightly loyal to her? Waves of pleasure washed over her as she sunk another digit into her port. Her entire chassis aching to be impaled upon that ready length.

"Master, you want me," Sunstreaker purred in a seductive tone as he continued to stroke. As he continued to tease the mech voyeur…

Barricade snorted in between his moans. "I already own you Pet. Whatever you have that I want – I take."

The golden mech stood up, staggering slightly in weakness but still stroking his shaft. "I've got something none of your other pets ever had." Boldly, he ripped open his chest panel, exposing his spark chamber. The brilliant blue swirl flowed around itself, creating a ball of pure energy. "It is strong again Master – it is yours if you desire it."

The cruiser licked her lips in desire. Yes, she wanted to feel that spark within her! Wanted to feel it fire new life with hers! "Yes, you're the only pet I allowed to keep that," she said in her low masculine mech voice.

Sunstreaker was now close enough to set a hand on the cruiser's thigh armor to help support himself. He continued to stroke his transfer. His meta was made up now. He would spark bond with this lonely warrior. Bring him back with him to the Autobots and allow him to fight beside Sideswipe and him. He knew he could convince Barricade to do this. He just had to capture his spark! "You let me keep what you've always desired … master," he purred.

Barricade reached out, slipping her digits into his open chest and stroking the surface of his spark chamber gently. His energy field caused her sensors to tingle as it affected her hand. Her own hidden spark pulsed and swelled at its nearness. "Open," she ordered in a low commanding voice.

Steeling himself to be fully exposed, the clear cover of his spark chamber slid to the side with a slight hiss. He staggered slightly as the mech's digits slid directly into his spark, his meta reeling a bit at the intense sense of interaction between the low voltage impulses going through Barricade's digits and his intense spark energy field. Throwing his helm back, he gasped in pleasure as 'Cade stroked the very core of his being. "Take me… Master.." he gasped.

Fascinated by the mech energy swirling around her digits, Barricade studied it intently. A frown crossed her face plate when she noticed tiny bits of it not quite attached. Like small flecks of static marring the perfect image in an HD screen. The mech's spark was still shattered. Still not fully reformed and recombined. If she mated with him now – that spark weakness might have a negative impact on any sparklings produced from the merge. She couldn't chance that…

Pulling her digits out of the moaning mech, she backhanded him. Yelping in shock, he fell to the ground with a clang of plating against unyielding stone. She stood up and kicked him hard, knowing that it would look very good to anyone watching them. "You offer me a shattered spark?!? A pathetic shattered spark?!?" she bellowed.

Rolling away from the enraged mech, Sunstreaker slammed his chest panel shut. Curling up, he grunted as he was kicked several more times. What was the issue? His spark was recombined enough for mech bonding wasn't it? Only femme-mech interface required two fully strong sparks! Yet, Barricade was acting like he'd thoroughly insulted him. As if he'd offered him some burned used motor oil – instead of high grade. Grinding his dental plates together, he willed himself to merely grunt as he was beaten. It still wasn't nearly as bad as being tortured by the other Decepticons. At least Barricade wasn't activating the shock collar and cackling hysterically as he writhed in agony.

The beating didn't last long. Sun stayed curled up on the floor as he listened to the mech grumbling under his breath and then heard the slam of armor against foam rubber as Barricade sat down.

"Pet," the cruiser rumbled.

Turning slowly over, Sun met his fierce optics. "Yes, master." Was it his imagination – or was there a slight bit of remorse on that face plate? Did Barricade not really want to beat him like that?

"Tell me why you deserved that punishment." Barricade crossed her arms over her hood. She'd hated to do that, hoped it didn't ruin the developing report between them – but she'd had to. She had to maintain her cover as a temperamental, easily angered and slightly sadistic mech.

"I offered you a spark that wasn't whole master." He winced as he slowly sat up, not wanting to look down and see new damage on his beautiful paint job.

The cruiser nodded agreement. With a slight hiss, her port panel slid open. Spreading her legs as she lay back on the berth, she looked over at him. "You must earn my forgiveness. Prove to me that you know how to eat a port," she ordered.

With a grunt of pain, Sunstreaker rose on shaky peds and approached his 'master'. He'd have to work his way back into his good graces then. It would take much longer to convince the mech to spark bond with him. And he'd better make sure that his spark was whole before he offered again!

Sinking down between 'Cade's spread legs, Sunstreaker began to prove his experience with eating ports in the most convincing of manners….

-----

_Note: Hope you all enjoyed… You'll REALLY like the next chapter if you liked this one!_


	7. Chapter 7

****Matter of Pride part 7****

"For an aft ugly slagger, you're starting to look presentable," Blackout noted dryly as he strode into the cruiser's quarters.

Barricade bared 'his' jagged dental plates in a horrific facsimile of a true smile. "Look who's talking," he burned back. He sat between Sunstreaker's spread legs, the yellow mech furiously working to buff out the scratches that the cruiser had incurred on his backside during the latest argument with Breakdown. Narrowing his red optics, Barricade glanced over his shoulder plate. "You'd better make it fast Pet – or…" He curled his digits into a tight fist, the threat obvious to all.

Sunstreaker ground his dental plates together in silent protest. But he didn't dare push Barricade's buttons right now with the larger Decepticon in the room. Yeah, he could probably take them both on, and maybe even make it out of the room still functioning – but he wasn't arrogant enough to think that he'd make it through the entire Decepticon base still functioning. No, he had to bide his time. Keep the cruiser thinking that he was broken and defeated. But not too much…. "Hit the prick first next time, then I won't have to do this again – master."

Blackout cocked his head, giving the cruiser an amused look with his arched optic ridges. "You left him with his spark intact? Unusual for you 'Cade," he noted.

Turning his optics back onto the chopper, 'Cade gave a dismissive shrug. "I'm getting tired of watching my tail pipes on those solo missions. You're not much help."

A deep chuckle full of sarcasm filled the room. "And you actually think HE will switch factions?" Striding up to the cruiser, he reached over him. The tips of his digits stroking the Autobot gladiator's face plate… It would be very interesting if the cruiser did manage to be successful in this task. Very interesting indeed. He studied Sunstreaker's expression as he stroked his lip components, looking for any hint of avoidance. There was none! In fact, the mech opened his mouth and boldly sucked on his digits, his optics carried an inviting gleam.

Sunstreaker smirked evilly inside as he intentionally fooled Blackout. Yeah, he'd do what it took to convince the stupid flyer that he was 'willing' to switch loyalties. But after he got away from this hell hole – this mech would be the FIRST one he'd turn into a smoldering piece of slag! As he sucked on those digits, his meta was envisioning the chopper's final gasps… They were sweet … So sweet…

Almost wishing that she could congratulate the conniving Autobot on a deception perfectly done, Barricade merely smirked in approval as she watched the shocked expression fade to one of desire on Blackout's face plate. "I'd say he'd almost there – would you not agree?"

Pulling his digits away, Blackout's grin widened, his optics gleamed in lust. "Let him truly prove it, shall we?" he said in a low tone. He reached past Cade again, his intention very clear to all.

With a shrill screech of hydraulics suddenly forced onto full pressure, Barricade stood up in a blur. Both hands catching the larger mech under his raised arms, the smaller mech used her momentum and angle to throw him back. He hit the stone wall with a heavy thud and not just a few muttered curses.

Before Blackout could whip his rotors off his back, he was faced with the barrel of Barricade's weapon pressing against the panel which concealed his very spark! Knowing that the easily angered cruiser wouldn't think twice about off lining him, he slowly slid his hand from his blades and held both hands up in submission. "You protect him?" he asked in a slightly accusatory tone.

Barricade laughed, twirling his weapon as he stood up, and then offered his hand. "Just wanted to remind you that he was given to me, and I do not like to share."

The chopper studied him intently as he stood. The cruiser had always been strangely fanatical about no mechs touching his 'pets'. Granted, all previous pets had been sparkless and dead – so no other mechs WANTED to touch them. But Blackout wasn't about to give up on getting another piece of this still-sparked one. "WE always share. Or do you not desire air support when you radio for it?" He leaned down, his face plate almost touching Barricade's. "Hmmm, ground mechs…"

Sunstreaker'd been watching the interaction with much amusement. It seemed that even Decepticon 'friends' were very violent towards each other. Geese, really did suck to be one of them – didn't it? Though he was very glad that 'Cade was so vehement about not

'sharing' him… He also knew he'd better convince some of the other dumb-afts that he was meta-washed and desperate to join them as one of them. "Like WE need a stupid flyer's help," he snorted.

Turning his optics to the smirking Autobot captive, Blackout roughly shoved Barricade out of the way and strode up to him. "I've saved his tail pipes on too many occasions to lock in my memory files!" he shot back.

The yellow mech glanced from the chopper to the cruiser. The expression of Barricade's face plate told him that this was true. Turning his optics back to the chopper, Sunstreaker gave a sarcastic snicker. "Why bother yourself? I thought the Decepticon motto was 'only the strong survive'?"

"We have an agreement." Blackout glanced back at the cruiser, his optics narrowing. "Or at least – we did."

Leaning back against the wall and bending one of his knees just so, Sunstreaker crossed his arms and leveled his optics at them both. "And that agreement was?" he prodded. He very well could guess what that agreement had been, it was easy to see. As ugly as both fraggers were…

"He shared his pets with only me – until he relieved them of their sparks," Blackout stated. His optics roved over the golden one's chassis as he spoke. A pet still with his spark – and a good looking one at that… He would sure like another taste or two of him…

Sunstreaker easily spied the lust in those red optics. A lust that would so thoroughly blind the rust bucket to the Autobot's true intentions! Oh, he was so going to work this mech… "Soooo," he started slowly, as if he was trying to piece the puzzle together, "if I convince my master to share me with you – then you'll come to our aid anytime we radio?"

"Affirmative." Blackout's plug began to throb with need as those blue optics seemed to fill with desire for him. He'd never really had a willing mech before. True, Barricade had made a multitude of lewd suggestions – but Blackout would never lower himself to actually slag the necrophiliac. So he'd just had the 'pets' on occasion.

Part of her liked where this was headed – the other part knew she'd better act the part of an overly jealous master. Barricade strolled up to the golden one and slapped him across his face plate. "Your spark is MINE! There is no convincing ME to share. I AM YOUR MASTER!" she bellowed in her mech voice.

Wiping the dribble of energon from his chin, Sunstreaker slowly sat back up. He glanced from the eager chopper to his jealous 'master'. "But master? Can't I just blow him?" he turned his optics to Blackout. "That'll be enough to guarantee your assistance – right?"

Blackout looked from the eager slave to the jealous cruiser. It wasn't exactly what he'd been after, but a little attention down there was better than none. And by the look on Barricade's face plate – he'd be lucky if the cruiser would even agree to that. "Affirmative."

'Cade fumed for a bit longer. Forcing them both to try and convince her to allow her 'pet' to share his lips. Finally, she relented and allowed Sunstreaker to perform in this manner. She watched him silently as he sucked and moaned under the chopper's eager digits. She saw the truth in those blue optics. Those sadistic orbs were planning the chopper's demise even as he gave the mech pleasure. Oh, Sunstreaker was truly a mech above all mechs! He was conniving, sadistic, and manipulative… Everything she'd ever wanted in a sire for her future offspring….

**-----**

"You enjoyed him," Barricade hissed after the door closed.

Sunstreaker simply shrugged and rolled onto his side, giving the mech a smile which would melt most sparks. "Not really master – think he noticed?" he replied with a conniving wink.

'Cade ran her hand along his armor as they lay there facing each other. "You use lust as a means to an end Pet. Perhaps I should be more wary of you," he mused. Tapping his chest panel, he smirked as Sunstreaker opened it without hesitation… The blue spark now exposed, swirling in a tight ball within the clear spark chamber.

"You have my spark master. You saved me. I am forever indebted to you now," Sunstreaker lied in the most convincing of tones. Sliding his hand, he curled his digits around Barricade's and directed him to touch his spark chamber. This is what the lonely mech desired. He'd seen it too many times in those fiery orbs as 'Cade stroked his sparkchamber for shifts on end. But this time he was offering a whole spark to the mech. This time the mech would take him…. Become his!

The cruiser ripped her hand from his grip, red optics narrowing. "You LIE! I saw your emotions while Blackout and I discussed the new Autobot arrivals!" she accused.

Frantically, Sun searched his processor for the right words. He couldn't deny his surprise when he'd heard that the femme trine had been spotted. Couldn't deny his thoughts of desire as he thought about one particular one…. But Barricade was a mech too – he'd understand it on those lines. "We all desire femmes," he whispered, "You, me – all of us do." He reached over and grabbed the mech's hand. "I just want a piece of one when we catch her – master." That's what con's did – right? They just captured and raped femmes. Made sense that Barricade might think on those lines..

Barricade studied him. "You would willingly thrust your spark into a weak femme who needs others to protect her?" he snorted in contempt.

Sun snickered, "They're the only ones left – why not, master? A femme's a femme." Bringing the cruiser's hand to his mouth, he nipped him playfully. The con liked a little twinge of pain with his pleasure…

Smacking him away, 'Cade grabbed his audio receptor and twisted it painfully. "You are weak – to want a weak femme!" she snarled in her mech voice.

Cringing from the pain, Sun boldly met the mech's optics. Barricade was always spouting off about strength and not needing others for protection as the signs of a truly strong mech. It did make a little sense that he'd look down on a slender, pretty femme. They WERE weaker in some aspects. "If there were stronger femmes, I'd prefer them – but there aren't. So let's just catch what there is – and slag them!" He made his optics fill with a sadistic lust, hoping that it would convince the mech he was really serious about it.

Squeezing her digits tighter, 'Cade smirked as he cringed but didn't cry out. He was strong… Very strong… "So, if a femme beat you in the gladiatorial arena – you would choose her above a more attractive femme?" he growled.

"Yeah, if one could actually match me," he paused, meeting Barricade's red orbs, "I'd take her over a pretty-yet-weaker femme." That was what the mech wanted to hear, he could tell. So regardless of if he'd meant it – he said it.

"We think alike," 'Cade rumbled. His digits relaxed as his engine revved. His hand slipped down to Sun's exposed spark.

"Primus brought us together Master. We are one-and-the-same," Sun purred. Shifting a little, he activated his plug. Barricade had gotten into watching him self interface while he stroked his spark. Now that he was whole again… Just maybe his time had finally come…

In a blur, the cruiser wrapped his arms around him and rolled. Sunstreaker blinked as he found himself on his back, the tip of his transfer touching the entrance of the mech who now straddled him. Barricade bent down and took his lips in a rough, yet passionate kiss. Then he lifted up slightly, his optics burning into Sunstreaker's. "If we do this, you swear an oath of loyalty to me!" he snarled.

Sunstreaker smiled, sure he'd 'swear loyalty' to Barricade. That wouldn't mean he was loyal to the Decepticons in any way, shape or form. He was simply loyal to the idea of bringing this mech into the Autobot fold. And he knew just how to accomplish that… "From a mech to a mech – I give you my oath," his voice lowered, "If you give me yours in return."

Barricade smirked, her chassis aching to take him now. The way Sunstreaker had put it, would've been a double edged sword for a Decepticon mech to take. Fortunately, she wasn't a Decepticon mech. Sunstreaker would soon find out that the double edge sword was facing him in both directions. "We ignore factions then. You are mine!" she whispered in a passionate tone.

The gladiator smiled as the cruiser took his lips. Barricade had no idea what spark bonding was like. Had no clue that in fact, he would be Sun's to control – not the other way around. His hands danced along the cruiser's chassis while their glossas intertwined. The heat radiating off of them in waves of steam… The tingling of anticipation intermixed with the fiery sensations of the tip of his shaft… He trembled and moaned in the mech's mouth… His spark energy field swelling in the excitement of soon dominating the Decepticon's….

Teasing her spark into a fury of energy, Barricade resisted slamming down on the shaft for as long as she could… But finally, she could no longer resist the temptation so teasingly close… Clamping a hand solidly over his lips lest he yell out her secret in shock, she slammed her hip servos down hard. Her receiver burning as the ache of want was suddenly replaced with the sensation of being stretched past expectation.

Sunstreaker's optics flew wide open as his spark met hers. The deception now bared of its most sacred curtain as his blue spark merged with the warm fire that could only be femme. He would've yelled out in shock… Yelled out her secret for any listening audio to hear if not for the hand so firmly planted over his jaw….

Locked together… Sparks joining into one in a fury of swirling colors and energy vortexes…. The pair's optics rolled into their heads and they went silent in overload…

His optics slowly lit… His chassis tingling with an afterglow of intensity he had not experienced since the femme extermination… Sunstreaker still felt the hand clamped over his lip components. His optics cleared of the overload induced fog and he focused on the demon red orbs of a mech that he now knew beyond doubt – was a hidden femme.

"I am a mech, Pet. A full mech – do you understand me?" she growled in that deep masculine voice. Her optics searched his with a harsh intensity.

He nodded his agreement. It was obvious that to be a femme in the Decepticon ranks meant a certain death in the most horrifying of fashions. Now, all the pieces seemed to come together. The puzzle finally formed… Barricade had chosen this ghastly appearance, and then made herself 'untouchable' by even a con by strategically developing the disgusting persona of a necrophiliac. She made every mech uncomfortable by being lewd and crude, making them believe whole-sparkedly that 'he' was so pitiful that only the dead – or a helpless slave - would slag him…

It was all a front. A brilliantly thought out and executed front! A femme surviving the extermination – right under the very olfactory sensor of the tyrant who had ordered it! A hidden femme considered to be one of that lord's most loyal of subjects. His opinion of Barricade-the-mech's potential value to the Autobots had been reasonably high – but his opinion of Barricade-the-femme's potential was leap cycles above and beyond that! Her cunning was far beyond what any mech could even fathom! She'd be simply amazing to have as a partner in battle. "You're brilliant… master," he whispered as she removed her hand.

Barricade studied him with an intensity that would've made a lesser mech flinch. Bending down, she nipped his audio panel. "Master? One cycle you shall openly refer to me as 'partner'," she whispered so softly that even he could barely make out her words.

"Are we free to talk openly, master?" he whispered.

"Negative," she replied. Her hands began to wander along his frame again, as if she wasn't satiated yet.

So, they were most likely being watched then. Sunstreaker frowned as he realized that everything he wanted to say and ask – would have to wait until they were away from the base. He ran his digits along her frame, imagining just what Ratchet could do with some good modifications… One cycle, she might actually be called 'beautiful' if Sunstreaker had his way. She would not only be beautiful – she would be stronger than any other femme. Strength she had developed through all these eons fighting as a lone 'mech'.

Yes, she was a little over-the-top.. A little sadistic… A little hard-on-the-optics… But as long as she was Sun's – that last little problem would be fixed as soon as he could hold her down for Ratchet. She was his now, was she not? The golden mech smirked as he thought about what Optimus or Ironhide would say when they found out that HE had caught a rare femme. A femme that didn't flinch away from true mating like Autobot femmes used to do – and probably still did.

He frowned as that last thought crossed his meta. They had truly mated! There was a good possibility a new spark was growing within her. A sparkling that was his! There was no way she could hide the birth here. They would have to find a way to escape together. Find a way to get to Ratchet before that time came… How could he ask her about these plans – without blowing her cover?

"Um master?" he asked as he trembled under her digit-tips.

"Yes Pet?" her optics met his, warning him silently not to say or do anything that might be looked upon with suspicion.

Sunstreaker looked down, acting as if he was ashamed for his actions. "I gave you my spark…. I… I can't go back," he sobbed, making sure his words were very clear – for those that were listening.

Barricade nodded, a knowing look in her optics. Sitting up, she helped him to sit up as well. "You are my spark mate now, Pet. You shall follow me without question?" her query sounded more like a statement.

He nodded his consent. "But… But when you leave on missions… They'll…" he glanced at the closed door, "They'll come and rape me again." His voice turned to almost a distraught tone.

She chuckled in her deep mech voice and stood. "You fear being taken by them?" she taunted, but her optics gleamed, telling him that he was doing well in the act.

He noticed her slight nod towards the ceiling. Out of the corner of his optics, he could see a tiny hole. They WERE being watched! He HAD to make this look good. Give Megatron some kind of reason to partner him with Barricade. Scooting off the berth, he fell to his knee plates and wrapped his arms around her knee plates. "Please master, don't leave me here alone! I'll do anything you order – ANYTHING!" he shrieked.

Barricade patted his helm in an approving fashion. "You will become a Decepticon for me? Accompany me on missions in the wilds of this planet?" she prodded.

He looked up at her, his face plate in plain view of the camera he now knew was watching. She mouthed for him to agree, her face plate hidden from their view. But her optics told him a different story. They promised the exact opposite when he accompanied her on a mission. They promised to leave the Decepticons forever – for HIM. "Yes, m-master… Anything to stay with you!" he replied in a tone he hoped sounded fully believable…

-------

Sunstreaker allowed Barricade to force him to bend over the berth. He now had all his armor back on. Well, minus one codpiece. But at least he was clean now – if not fully polished to his overly high standards. He'd do that during the cruiser's next shift. Give him something to do while his strength continued to slowly return. He was close though, very close to full strength. Looking back over his door wing at the hidden femme, he gave her a knowing smile as he felt her digits glide over his aft armor.

Reaching across the berth, he curled his digit-tips around the other edge. One thing he'd learned quickly, was that getting slagged by the cruiser was a long-term affair. But now he knew exactly why the 'mech' could last so long and never overload. He'd wondered if this would all change once she'd exposed her true self to him. Wondered if he'd be the one to be slaggin' her now… It didn't happen like that. The femme had to keep her farce in character – and that character was forever slaggin' his 'pet' during the off shifts.

Sunstreaker found that he didn't mind it anymore, especially now that he realized that Barricade's transfer was in fact, a disguised medical probe. He'd never known how good those things felt when used as interface toys. A fact that he was determined to teach Sideswipe about when they saw each other again.. For some reason, he was pretty sure that the hidden femme wouldn't mind watching some twin action.. She wouldn't get embarrassed like an Autobot femme would. Perhaps she'd even demand to join in? Now THAT would be some fun! Well, after they got Ratchet to make her look decent….

Kneeling down, Barricade licked the mech's quivering tailpipes with a gentle swipe of her glossa. Sun's moan and the arching up of his rump so quickly told her that the damage was quickly being repaired. Now the mech felt more pleasure than pain, even without the healing gel. He was also getting much stronger. Soon, he would be ready to become a 'Decepticon spy'… At least until they'd made it back to the Autobot faction…

Reaching up, Sun grabbed the gel and offered it to the cruiser. Yeah, it was still a little degrading to be slagged by what appeared to be one of the ugliest sickos in the entire Decepticon faction – and to KNOW that they were most likely being watched… But what the future held for him was beyond exciting! He'd most likely be a father in a few Earth months. And be proud 'owner' of a rare femme. Who'd actually look decent once Ratchet go a hold of her face plate and rearranged it a bit.

"Use more of it… Uh, master," he grinned as he made sure to always add the 'master' as an afterthought. It was now a private joke between them. A private joke that no con would ever understand…

Barricade smirked as the mech handed her the gel. Just a few day cycles ago, he'd still been trying to fight it. Now he was near full strength again – and actively accepting it. Not that he really could do much. The second he tried anything – that collar he wore would drop him to the ground – writhing in total agony. Not that she'd actually do that to him. It had been left on more as part of their disguise – than for any use.

What actually surprised her most was how accepting the egotistical mech was of her. She hadn't changed in the least – but the WAY they had 'met' as mech and femme this second time was totally different. Meeting her as a mech, experiencing first hand the brutality of her world, and feeling the gentleness of her digits – had seemed to have changed the way Sunstreaker viewed her. He now looked at her with a deep-set respect in his optics – instead of total revulsion. He now understood that her skill as a warrior and survivor transcended anything he'd ever known…… He now actually saw her as an equal, as valuable, as somewhat desirable…

The cruiser grinned as she spread the repair gel along her fake transfer. She then spread some on her digits and slid them deep into Sunstreaker, prepping him for a long period of action. Her port ached for him though, filling her with a need that would take the golden one many shifts to satiate. But no, she couldn't go there now. She must maintain her cover. Maintain her Decepticon status as an interface addicted mech…

Gently, Barricade pressed inside the slick port. The mech moaning and spreading his legs further apart in response…. The fake mech wished that 'he' could truly feel the intensity of pleasure that Sunstreaker was obviously feeling – but she couldn't. All the sensory input she got from the false transfer was the amount of pressure and the warm sensation of the energy field when it was activated. True, the energy did feel good on the hidden receiver unit. And hidden femmes could very well overload from the moderate tingling. But it still wasn't the same.

Sunstreaker sighed as the warm numbing sensation flowed over him again. He was so going to get Sideswipe to snag one of Ratchet's probes when they joined back up… So going to slag his twin silly with the toy – while Barricade impaled herself on his transfer again…

"Well well well, still slaggin' him silly – and he ain't off lined yet," Swindle's sarcastic words filled the room as he shoved the door open.

Barricade didn't stop 'his' thrusts, though Sunstreaker pulled his hand off himself in surprise. The cruiser slapped him hard across his rump. "Did I give you permission to remove your hand?" she growled.

Sunstreaker gulped a bit, flashes of being gang banged hard by the Combaticons filled his meta with fear. "Uh, um, no … master… I, uh." Clamping his mouth shut, he figured he'd better just do what the cruiser ordered. After all, 'Cade knew how to handle the other Decepticons – and she had already assured Sun that she didn't share her 'pets'. His optics still full of apprehension at the sight of one of the gestalt glaring at him, Sun curled his digits back around his transfer and matched the cruiser's rhythm again.

"You'd better have a good reason for barging in on me." Barricade rather lewdly scanned the jeep's chassis, "or are you accepting my previous invitation, hmmm?"

"Uh, nope." Swindle hated it when the cruiser came on to him. He did it all the time. It was frankly quite disgusting when a mech thought about it. "Megatron told me to come fetch you – and well, uh…"

Barricade didn't pause the least in his thrusts. The mech now moaning and arching into her, begging for her to go deeper… She spanked him hard again. "Silence!" she barked.

Sunstreaker clamped his dental plates together and pressed his face plate hard against the berth. His chassis still trembled and jerked though… The way the disguised femme fearlessly held her status with the Decepticon mechs.. The way she commanded respect – like she was currently commanding his port… Damn, for an ugly-as-slag bitch – she was HOT!

Turning her demon optics to the sniveling jeep, Barricade snorted. "Well what? If you don't tell me now – I'm gonna bend you over this berth and teach you what its like to really get slagged!"

"Can't say it in front of him," Swindle nodded at the bucking mech, still amazed that the cruiser had apparently broken him so completely to his will.

"He's nothing but my pet. Say it – or…" Barricade's intentions were quite clear.

"Well, Megatron wants to know if ya got him loyal to ya yet." Ok, it was out in the open. Swindle crossed his arms and leaned against the closed door, giving the necrophiliac and expectant look.

Barricade pulled out of the quivering mech then, a smug smirk on her face plate. "So, my lord has a mission in mind for us – my pet. Do you wish to do it?" She sure hoped that Sun was smart enough to take the bait for what it was. The mech would probably try to either escape – or convert her to an Autobot – once they were away from base. Most likely the latter scenario; either way, they'd both be free. Hunted for life – but free!

Sunstreaker fell to his knees, his expression the perfect act of submission. This might be his chance! If they got away from the con base – he could convince the hidden femme to totally switch sides. He was sure of it! She had nowhere else to go now that they had mated. "Yes master! Anything to be with you!" His normal taunting was totally gone. He had to make this convincing…

"Yeah, but is he really loyal?" Swindle smirked. He'd been told how to find out, and Barricade damn well knew it.

"Pet – slag him good. Prove your undying loyalty to me!" Barricade narrowed her optics as she ordered it. She knew Sun feared to share his spark with the cons again, and 'Cade hated the thought of sharing him like this. But it was the only way to prove he was loyal. To have him willingly do it…. – or was it? Her optics narrowed as she thought about an even more convincing way to 'prove' Sunstreaker was completely loyal to her.

His core plummeted a bit. He gave the cruiser a slightly pleading look, and he swore he saw a slight flash of remorse on that emotionless façade. The thought that the cruiser didn't want him to do this anymore than he wanted to do this – somehow soothed him. Barricade WAS totally attached to him now! He was certain of it down to his spark. The cruiser wanted to get away from the con base as much as he did. Sunstreaker turned his optics onto one of his former torturers…

All he had to do was make them think he was truly mindless and obedient….. He swallowed down the energon rising in his throat as he nodded for the mech to lie down on the berth…. He wouldn't fail….

"No, wait my pet," Barricade growled. Her hand on his door wing stopped him before he could climb onto the waiting mech.

Swindle snorted, glaring at the cruiser suspiciously. "There ain't no way in slag – that I'm doin' this if you're involved!"

With a vicious snarl, the hidden femme grabbed the sniveling Comabaticon and slammed him up against the wall. She pressed her chassis hard against him, noting in amusement that his transfer lost pressure rapidly. "I let him keep his fraggin' spark just for MY use – no others!" she growled, her face plate mere millimeters from his. "You can make use of his lips – but not his port. That is mine!"

He breathed a sigh of relief as the necrophiliac dumped him onto his peds. "Well, now that we have an understandin'," he said with a sly grin and repressurized his transfer. "Didn't really want to stick my stick where yours had been anyways…" he taunted.

Sunstreaker looked from one to the other, somewhat calmer now that he knew who'd be using his port. Still didn't relish the fact that he'd have to taste the nasty bastard though. Bending down over the end of the berth, he nodded to Barricade that he was ready. "Master? My port aches for you," he begged.

Swindle snickered as he sat down in front of the mech. "Sicko finally got one meta washed enough to fraggin' want you," he snickered. His helm went back against the wall with a loud thud as his transfer was swallowed. The Autobot being a true master with his glossa…

Barricade smirked as she recoated her false transfer with the medical gel and slid it back inside Sunstreaker. "Make him overload in record time pet," she ordered and spanked him hard across his aft.

There was a reason she wanted the Combaticon knocked out in overload, Sunstreaker could just sense it by the way she'd said it. Using his digits on Swindle's port while his mouth and glossa worked over his hard shaft, it didn't take long for the gladiator to complete his 'task'. As the Combaticon fell limp in overload, he allowed the shaft to slip from his lips.

The cruiser smirked and spanked him again, her hit full of approval. She leaned forward, grabbing his door wings as she thrust into him. "You want to be a Decepticon, Sunstreaker? Do what a con would do?" she teased.

He glanced back at her, his meta already coming up with some pretty sadistic ideas that he'd like to try on Swindle. Surely those would more than fit in with the Decepticon ideal of 'interface fun'? "Sure master – anything!" his tone was filled with eagerness. He sensed that he might get a little pay back with this 'How to be a Decepticon lesson'.

Barricade chuckled and pulled out of him. She tossed him her cuffs as he sat up, nodding at the slowly rebooting mech.

With a wicked grin, Sunstreaker obeyed her unspoken order. He was really beginning to like the thought processes of this hidden femme! In the blink of an optic, he had Swindle's wrist servos secured to the wall.

The Combaticon came to, his optics widening in horror as he realized he was tied up – and in the necrophiliac's quarters! "Hey, he's proven it ok? Why don'tcha just let me go an make my report?"

Barricade snickered as she knelt on the berth, her false transfer still pressurized – now touching his shoulder. She enjoyed the look of absolute revulsion that swiftly made its way onto the trapped mech's face plate. "He hasn't learned how we cons like our interface fun. Won't you help me teach him, Swindle?" the last part came out as a sickly sweet fake plea. Just as the mech opened his mouth to refuse, she thrust her transfer inside, slamming his helm against the wall as she forced him to swallow all of it.

She glanced back at Sunstreaker, who had quite the sadistic smirk on his face plate. "His interface nets are yours to do with as you wish. We Decepticons do enjoy it on the painful side though." Her optics told him to give Swindle more than just a 'little' pain.

"Yes master." Sunstreaker's optics gleamed as he roughly forced the mech's legs apart and ripped off his codpiece, exposing his port to him. Jamming his digits deep into Swindle, he didn't even wait for the mech to release any lubricant before he added another and another digit to his thrusts. The sounds of Swindle's muffled screams as he ruthlessly fisted him until energon, hydraulic fluid and lubricant streamed from his torn insides – filled him with a sense of justice.

For a quarter shift the pair tortured the hapless mech. Eventually, they 'tired' of him when his screams turned into pitiful gasps. Pulling off of him, Barricade ordered Sunstreaker to throw the limply groaning mech over his shoulder plates and follow her.

-----

Megatron watched as the golden mech callously tossed Swindle in front of Hook's exam table and followed Barricade out. Turning the monitor off, he leaned back on his berth. He'd been watching those two for some time now. At first, he'd been suspicious about the necrophiliac's reasons for letting the slave live, but a whispered idea in his audio had made him look at the advantage that he could gain through this sick 'relationship'.

It was obvious that the Autobot was so thoroughly meta-washed by the cruiser that he'd suck anyone's transfer. He'd do anything… Even commit acts of violent rape that were so degrading – that it'd make any Decepticon proud. No, if Optimus was still functioning, he'd never allow such a deranged mech back into his ranks.

Crossing his arms, the tyrant's lips curled up into an evil smile. He knew just how he could use the cruiser and his meta washed pet…. Yes, the perfect mission….

------

_Note: Ok, went a little faster than I intended to in this chapter… But it just –fit… If you enjoyed it, please leave a review. I do love to read them!_


	8. Chapter 8

****Matter of Pride part 8****

_Note: Have no fear; the two groups who split from the main Autobot force shall rejoin them. But that will happen in the third book of this trilogy: 'Matter of Prime'. The plot will REALLY get twisted in that book!_

_Now back to 'ol Sunstreaker shall we? (My favorite sadistic Autobot!)_

_------_

Barricade snarled as the two stalked around them, her fiery optics narrowing in suspicion. Digits itched over her weapons, ready to activate in less than a blink of an optic if necessary. She had a rather long-standing feud with this particular gestalt. A feud somewhat caused by her own actions in tormenting a certain Drag Strip with the spike strips she just LOVED to accidentally 'drop' in front of him. While their leader, MotorMaster, thought it was quite hysterical to watch – the rest of his unit didn't. They'd try and beat up the cruiser anytime they caught him alone. Granted, they weren't very successful for the most part. But they never quit trying….

The golden mech at her side followed her moves with a precision that seemed fluid. Like a pair of practiced dancers performing a long known routine. His guard was up as much as hers was, but unlike her, he was unarmed. This fact didn't seem to faze the ex-gladiator much. He'd prefer to rip the two Stunticons apart with his bare servos. A little payback for what they had done to him during his first shifts of captivity. To rile them up a bit, he gave them a cocky smirk and began to stare intently at one of them in particular.

After a few moments of silent threats, the one that Sunstreaker was blatantly staring at began to lose his composure. He leapt at the golden mech, his fist coming forward to punch him. "Quit staring at me!" he shrieked in rage.

His movement was anticipated, for this was the exact reaction that Sun expected. Suddenly going into a crouch, he grabbed the mech's outstretched arm. Using Breakdown's own momentum against him, he easily flipped him over him. The Lamborghini crashed against the far wall with a surprised yelp. Even before the thrown mech had a chance to right himself, Sunstreaker stood up and wiped his hands off. "Like I told you Master, if you throw the piece of slag first – you won't get a scratch on your paint job," he snickered.

"Ya rust bucket necro lover gonna pay for that!" Wildrider screamed and came at them.

He was met by the cruiser. The crash of metal-on-metal echoed through the passage. The cruiser growled as she activated her swinging mace, Sunstreaker ducked in synch as she began her spin, the blades hissing through the air right where his helm had just been. With a wry smirk, the golden mech turned his attention back to the other combatant, pouncing on him before he could even stand.

Wildrider stood his ground for a moment before getting smacked on the side of his helm. Knocked off-kilter he staggered backwards and fell onto his aft, firing his arsenal at the approaching cruiser. The swinging motion of her weapons deflected the bullets, causing them to ricochet on down the hall. Getting close enough, the cruiser managed to completely disarm her opponent. In desperation, he unthinkingly jumped at her, starting a wrestling match…

Sunstreaker smirked as he grabbed Breakdown's weapon and wrestled it out of his servos. "My turn for some fun now – you little fragger!" he snarled. His digits began to dig into exposed joints, ripping anything they touched. He kept his optics locked onto Breakdown's, causing the mech to squirm underneath him.

"Ok! Ok! I give up! Just quit staring at me!" Breakdown cried. His entire chassis was shaking now. Those blue optics seemed to drive daggers into his very spark! He wanted to run from them… Smash them… Get away from them….

"Then just stop looking at me!" Sun growled. Curling his digits into a tight ball, he smashed straight down into the paranoid mech's right optic with all his hydraulic force.

Breakdown screamed as the sound of shattering glass filled the area. Energon sprayed from his collapsed optic socket, coating the golden mech's hood.

"Shit! Primus damned son-of-a-screw-driver ruined my wax!" Sun snarled. In a rage, he smashed down with his fist again-and-again. Berating the writhing mech about creating such a mess….

"Why you…" Wildrider charged them again, trying to somewhat backup his fellow gestalt mate. He stopped in his tracks as a spinning mace blocked his way.

"Frag you Wildrider. Breakdown doesn't need his optics anyways," Barricade snickered. She glanced back at what Sunstreaker was doing, then turned back to the other Stunticon. "And he needed a new face plate too. Good excuse to haul his useless aft to Hook – aye?"

Sunstreaker stood up, giving the groaning mech one last kick for good measure. "And DON'T fraggin' do it again – or I won't be so generous as to leave you a fucking spark!"

Wildrider glanced from the golden one to the cruiser and back. "What the slag?!? Ya lettin' a damned bot keep his spark?!?" He looked from the Autobot to the cruiser suspiciously…

Not missing a beat, the golden mech curled his arm around his 'master' and gave Wildrider his biggest slag-eatin' smirk. "Master sure did. And I'm so happy – he's so delectable you know." With that, he began to kiss Barricade's armor, as if he was completely infatuated with the false mech.

If a mech's face plate COULD turn green, Wildrider's would've. Instead, he fought the natural refluxing of his fuel pump and backed away a step. "Slag! Ya got him totally meta-washed. Ya sick fraggin necro!" He'd heard rumors about what had happened to Swindle, and definitely didn't want to be the next victim of the cruiser's. Primus knows – they weren't exactly friends so he wouldn't put it past the sicko.

"Mmmmm, master, do you want me to catch him for your amusement?" Sun purred, his optics filling with a truly sadistic gleam that would put even Megatron to shame.

Barricade smirked, but stopped her pet. Leveling her fiery orbs at the mech, she snorted in contempt. "I wouldn't waste a functional transfer on slag like them." With that, she turned sharply on her peds and marched off, her point well made.

Sun shot Wildrider one final look before he turned and followed his 'master'. His golden armor shimmered brightly in the dim light as he strode through the passage as if he truly belonged in the Decepticon ranks.

The look told the Stunticon in no certain terms that the 'pet' would've truly enjoyed raping him in a horrific manner. Normally, he wouldn't be the type to shirk from a battle. But something about the fierceness of that mech's blue optics told him that he wanted no part of him. The pet had to be completely spirit broken by now. Completely meta-washed by the crazed necrophiliac! No, Wildrider wanted no part of the psychotic pet – nor his master.

Waiting for them to completely disappear, Wildrider finally went to the aid of his groaning gestalt mate. Throwing him over his shoulder without any concern as to his discomfort, the mech looked one last time down the hall that their opponents had disappeared. He'd be sure to avoid Barricade for a long, long time… Or at least make sure his damned pet wasn't around to help him when he did run across him!

------

Barricade glanced back at her golden shadow. "Well done pet, you may make a decent Decepticon yet."

Sunstreaker shot her a sly look back. She knew damned well he was playing this game. And when it came to dealing out pain to those who deserved it – he was more than a tad eager! "Thank you master. I do so only to please you," he replied.

"Reeeeeeaaaaaaallllllllyy?" The taunting voice caught them both slightly off guard. They turned as a single unit, both glaring at the speaker with an equal level of disgust.

The cruiser cocked her head, appearing totally unafraid in the face of the one con who was possibly smart enough to smell the ruse. Optimus himself had once said that Barricade was possibly the most dangerous Decepticon around because of his level of cunning and deception, perhaps even MORE dangerous than Starscream himself. His assessment was actually far milder than the reality. In reality, Barricade was far, far more dangerous than Starscream could even dream of being. And now that very Seeker dared to taunt her, not realizing the embers he was throwing fuel upon…

Crossing her arms, she smirked at the Seeker, her optics roving hungrily over his chassis. "Do you pursue me for more than my mere glossa now, Starscream?" she asked, her tone low and suggestive. Boldly, she walked up to him, then circled him like a beast of prey, the tips of her digits daring to brush one of his sensitive wings. "Are you jealous that I've decided to take a pet – over you? Hmmmm?"

Spinning, the Seeker snarled in rage as he smacked the offending digits from his proud wing. "Frag you! Only a broken slave would allow a disgusting necrophiliac like you to slag him." Following the circling cruiser with his optics, he nodded towards the silent pet. "But since you let him keep his spark, perhaps I'll take another taste or three of him. The benefits of my superior rank over you."

Before the Seeker could say another word, the cruiser snarled and attacked him full-on. She glanced at Sun as she initiated the violence, silently ordering him to stay out of it.

Sunstreaker balled his fists, not relishing the idea of staying out of a good brawl. Especially when one considered that the traitorous Seeker was involved! But he obeyed her silent order, stepping to the side and watching the match with studious optics.

With a triumphant shout, Starscream managed to grab one of the cruiser's leg servos. Spinning, he threw him down the hall, enjoying the sounds of the grunts as his opponent slid over the loose rocks. The cruiser was damaged, but far from done. Getting up, he charged back in…..

"While I do love to watch a good fight, I have need of my best spy's services," Megatron's voice interrupted them at about the same time as his blast hit Starscream's cockpit. He cackled as the surprised Seeker shrieked in pain as the blast threw him hard against the rocks. "You on-the-other-hand, I don't have need for," he kicked the Seeker out of his way, "at least not right now."

Starscream clamped his mouth shut, knowing from that tone that his lord was not interested in what he said. Holding his damaged armor together, he stood up and stumbled out of the area, swearing silently to himself that he would get even with the disgusting necrophiliac…. One cycle he'd get vengeance!

Barricade dropped immediately to her knee plates upon the sight of the tyrant, Sunstreaker wisely following her lead. "My lord," the false mech said, his voice filled with almost a worshipful reverence, "I am yours to command!"

His deep chuckle filled the empty air; Megatron looked approvingly from his valued cruiser to the golden pet. Leaning down, he put his digit under the necro's chin and let him look up and meet his optics. Barricade's optics seemed filled with an undying love for him… An unquestioning loyalty… Such a good soldier… "Ah Barricade, it is always an intake of putrid air when you're around. Such loyalty.." he purred.

The cruiser seemed to tremble in absolute rapture at his attention. His engine purred, almost as if he was about to overload at this slight contact..

Frowning as the wave of nausea threatened to hit him, Megatron pulled his servo away. Even he was sickened by the very notion that the necrophiliac lusted for him. But that type of emotional attachment made the cruiser even that much more fanatically loyal to him, so he attempted to actually hide his repulsion. "Yes, my best soldier are you not?"

"Yes my lord! I live to serve you!" Barricade exclaimed. His optics were full of total and complete adoration for the tyrant as he pronounced his undying loyalty to him…

Megatron smirked, then shifted his red orbs to the silent golden pet still prostrated on the ground at his peds. "I noticed that you left his spark intact, very unusual for you my spy. Is he broke to you?"

Her lip components curled up, baring her jagged dental plates in a macabre smile. "Yes my Lord, he will do anything I order. He is completely – mine."

The tyrant cocked his helm, studying the silent form on the floor. "And what belongs to you…"

Barricade smirked proudly, "… Belongs to you, my lord."

"Ah yes, such a loyal servant, my Barricade." Megatron nudged the pet with his ped. "Stand," he ordered.

Forcing himself to remain totally emotionless, Sunstreaker stood, still keeping his optics locked to the rock beneath his peds. "Yes, my lord?" he asked. That last word grated upon his every processor to say, but this was his final test. If he could convince Megatron himself that he was indeed a meta'less slave, then freedom wasn't far behind…

"Look at me," Megatron ordered. He studied the smaller mech's blue optics, looking for any hint of emotion. Any hint of an Autobot's natural aggression towards the sight of him. But there was none, none at all. "Barricade, take the collar off of him."

Without a word, Barricade turned and removed the collar. Her optics briefly met Sun's, silently telling him to play the part perfectly… For their freedom… For the life of their unborn sparkling… With an emotionless façade, she turned and resumed her place…

"Let us see if he's truly yours, shall we?" Megatron purred. Disconnecting his weapon from his primary mount, he offered it to Sunstreaker. "Why don't you see how a real weapon feels in your hand."

Sunstreaker barely controlled the emotions flowing through him as he was handed the weapon. Here he was, with Megatron disarmed! With Megatron's very own weapon in his hand! He could slaughter him now! End this war! '_Don't' _a low voice warned inside his very spark. _'He is not the true leader of us. He is not our Prime,' _it explained. Sunstreaker knew without a doubt that the hidden femme was communicating with him through their very spark link, a communication he'd only ever experienced with his twin! Silencing his lust for Megatron's energon, he stilled his hand and plastered a look of complete awe on his face plate as he caressed the weapon. "Incredible…" he whispered. It was more a description of what the femme had just done, than for the weapon.

But Megatron took it at face value. "Yes, it is incredible," he replied with a smug smile. He shot his cruiser a pleased look, for Cade seemed to have actually managed to completely meta-wash the bot.

He had one more test for the pet though. With a few hisses and clicks, he engaged his transfer. "Pleasure me," he ordered. On purpose, he left the pet with his weapon as he leaned back against the wall. The pet no longer controlled by the collar… Fully armed…. Yet, the pet still swallowed him without question….

------

A smug grin covered Barricade's face plate as she watched the rapidly disappearing form of Blackout as he disappeared over the horizon. She had done it. She had rescued the mech. A hard thud against her door wing brought her out of her contemplations…

"Slag it! You got any of that miserable concoction you mechs call edible – left?" Sunstreaker gagged and spit a few times. "I can't get that rust bucket's taste off my glossa!"

With a nod, the femme pulled out a container from her subspace and tossed it to him. "May I compliment you on the perfect deception?" she said as she watched him gulp and gurgle the nasty stuff like it was mouth wash.

Sunstreaker plopped himself down on his tail pipes, not even noticing the thin wisps of dust as they rose up around him. He performed the gulp-gurgle-spit routine a few more times until the container was empty. Crushing it in his hand, he frowned as he threw it as far as he could. "I had the bastard in my sights and you just had to stop me – do you know how hard that was!" He met her optics as she sat down across from him. "Never mind, of course you do. You're a fucking femme - now aren't you?"

She smiled, reformatting her voice even as he griped. "I've wanted to off line the exterminator for eons… But…" she let her voice trail off, her optics staring past him, out into the desert sands…

"But HE wasn't the real lord. Isn't that what you told me through my spark?" Sunstreaker shook his head, still a bit uneasy about any one else but Sideswipe having that ability. "So who's the real tyrant? Care to let me in on it?" he snorted.

The cruiser shrugged, her optics coming back to his. "It is no secret now. They battle your forces as we speak."

"And?"

"They face the Fallen. The last Prime living." Barricade listened in on the Decepticon frequencies for a moment.

"But Optimus was the last, and I thought I overheard some cons gloating over his death." Sunstreaker flicked some dust from his paint in disgust. He wasn't about to show his true sorrow at the loss of his leader. No, not to the tough femme…

Barricade chuckled mischievously, "No, both sides are wrong in their beliefs. Very, very wrong!" She stood up, motioning for him to stand up as well…

Sunstreaker snorted, keeping his tail pipes firmly planted where they were. "You aren't my fraggin master anymore." He pointed at his bare neck. "Remember?" he taunted.

The cruiser turned and studied the mech in humor. "No, I'm your femme mate now – remember?" she teased back with a sweet smile.

"Yeah, how can I forget," Sunstreaker snickered, "think I'm sticking my transfer up a lonely mech's tailpipe." He looked up at the femme, giving her a sarcastic smirk. "Only to find out that a certain conniving femme had been hiding right under Megatron's olfactory sensor." With a grunt, he stood up and held out his hand. "Guess I should thank you for helping me out."

Cocking her head, she gave him a wink as her digits curled around his. "Rescuing your worthless yellow aft is more like it."

He shot her a smug smile, his grip tightening. "Obviously I got something that you wanted," he smirked. Pulling her towards him, he wrapped his arms around her. "And I think we both know what that is."

"Strong sparklings," she stated as if it had been nothing more than that.

Sunstreaker snickered, stroking the side of her face plate. "For a con, you sure suck at lying." Tilting his head, he studied her with a strange emotion on his face plate. "You've always wanted me. Now that I see the truth, I can look back at every single battle we fought against each other. I remember that look in your optics… You've waited for me." His digits drifted down, touching her lips. "Now that you've mated with me. You can't go back. You must switch sides."

The side of her lips curled up. "I switched sides a while back. You just don't remember," she teased. Her hands went lower, curling over his aft.

His optics narrowed. Doing a memory scan, he concentrated on matching his internal clock and date reading to the data. It didn't take long for him to see the missing file period. Pulling back from her slightly, he searched his recycle bin for the deleted files… Nothing! He gripped his digits around her shoulder plates, his optics now demanding. "What did I delete?!?"

"Everything, from the moment you landed here," she replied.

"And you know it all?!?" Sunstreaker's meta swirled at the implications. His optics opened wide in disbelief as he put her words together. "You're a double agent? You… You.."

"Went against orders to retrieve you when you were captured," she finished for him.

"Prime's orders?" Had Optimus still been alive then?!? Had he actually ordered the double agent NOT to go after him?!? Had he known that Barricade was a hidden femme. "Did he know?"

"Affirmative on both counts," Barricade replied with a calm smile.

Sunstreaker smacked himself in his helm. "Did I know?"

"Affirmative."

Pulling away from her, the golden mech began to pace. "I knew you were a femme. THAT's why I dumped my memory files." He glanced at her. "To protect you as a femme, to protect you as an Autobot agent." It all made sense now. But why had she disobeyed a direct order to come after him? Put her life at risk! "Why'd you risk it?"

With a wry grin, Barricade answered, "I believed you would be worth it as a mate."

He stopped his pacing for a moment. "So we weren't mated before my capture?"

"I chased, you ran." Barricade gave a chuckle that sounded almost – sad. "You could not stand me as a femme of this appearance." She waved towards her face plate.

Sunstreaker frowned, realizing that this description of how he would've react to her as just a femme – was pretty much right on the mark. He'd been so shallow before his capture. Now he understood it all a little better. This ugly femme, who he'd apparently rejected in his normal callous manner – had still come after him when no one else would. He owed her more than his life – he owed her an apology. "Once you made the comment that I didn't see the value of staying unnoticed and unbothered."

Barricade stood still as the mech approached her, not flinching as he set his hand on her shoulder again. Boldly, she met his optics, waiting for the words she'd waited a millennium to hear…

With a smile, Sun stroked her ghastly façade. He now understood that the real value to a mech – or femme – was where it couldn't be seen. Where it could only be proven… "I see it now," his voice lowered to a whisper, "and I'll be proud to have you as the mother of my sparklings."

She felt like she was melting against him as he took her lips then. As he freely accepted her for who and what she was…. As their glossas danced, time and war meant nothing for a long moment…. Only the acceptance of the spark… Only the future life ahead of them as – partners…

-----

Note: Hope ya'll enjoyed… Getting real close to the end of book 2!


	9. Chapter 9

**Matter of Pride – Finality**

"Well, let's go join the fun!" Sunstreaker's optics gleamed in sadistic battle lust. He would more than enjoy tearing apart some Decepticreeps, just as he knew his twin was currently doing. He could feel Sideswipe's emotions of excitement and engagement through their spark link.

Barricade grabbed him before he could transform. The unexpectedly swift stop of his forward momentum caused the golden one to lose his balance and almost hit the ground. Regaining his footing, he turned and glared at her. "What the frag do you think you're doing?!?" he spat.

"Preventing you from disobeying a direct order." Her voice was flat and level, her optics meeting his without the slightest flinch.

He waved his hand in the direction that he instinctively knew his twin was in. "We can't just leave them! They're outnumbered and outgunned without Prime! I saw the hordes of drones that Megatron sparked with the fragment!" His digits shook with emotion. He could feel the loss of his brother close at hand.

Barricade set her peds, unmovable in her decision. "Whether they survive or not; your mission is to protect the femmes you were sent with."

"I am!" He pointed at his optics, "or are you freagin' blind?" He motioned at himself then at her and back. "I'm here, you're here. I take you WITH me – wa-la I'm with the bitch he sent me with!"

She grinned, her ragged-edged dental plates glinting in the setting sunlight. "I said 'femmes' not 'femme' dumbaft."

"Why you – WHAT?!?" Sunstreaker's optics got big as he realized what she'd said. Looking around, he seemed to think that another femme would somehow magically drop out of thin air. "Then where's the other one?" he demanded to know. A second thought crossed his meta a moment afterward, "and just who in the slag is she?" His meta filled with horrific visions of having to guard someone hidden femme Starscream or something…

"It's Frenzy, and she's in a safe place right now. To protect Optimus's future sparklings," Barricade explained. She cocked her head, waiting for his predictable response.

At first he relaxed, since he didn't have to worry about guarding that femme in the immediate future. Then he realized just WHO Frenzy was. The vision of a mech as big as Optimus, sticking his transfer into something THAT diminutive – was too unbelievable to be true. And just WHERE would a stick hacker like Frenzy even have a receiver installed?!? He stepped back from Barricade, his optics narrowing. This just HAD to be a freagin' joke! "Your fucking lying. That tiny hacker ain't but yay big." He held his hands a small distance apart. "A femme THAT small can't even have a receiver installed."

The cruiser chuckled, "Decepticon femme sparks are not limited to habitation of a single chassis. She rebuilt one of your deceased Autobot mechs and took his chassis for hers."

A creepy sensation washed over his circuits at that thought. He knew who'd landed first with Prime. Had Frenzy taken Ironhide's, Ratchet's, Jazz's or Bumblebee's chassis? Anyone of them could've been off lined. And since he deleted his memory banks, he had no clue as to which one. But when he considered them all, he sure hoped it was Bumblebee who was now home to Frenzy. At least THAT mech was cute! "Bumblebee's?" he asked hopefully. It wasn't that he WANTED the youngster off lined by any means – but a femme in that chassis would at least be decent looking.

This got Barricade truly rolling in laughter. "No, Bumblebee is already a femme. Frenzy took Jazz's chassis."

All those training missions with the youngster flitted through his meta. All those times he'd been alone with what he THOUGHT was a mech too spark immature for even playing around with. And the whole time he was a SHE! Sunstreaker began to pace back and forth, mumbling to himself about the entire deception of the femmes.

After a while, Barricade got bored of watching him marching back and forth. Sure, it had been amusing at first – but it rapidly got old. Walking a short distance away, she sat down and linked to the 'One'. Through the satellite link with him, she saw the action thousands of clicks away in real time.

Finally, Sunstreaker quit pacing and finally accepted the whole hidden femme situation. He now began to wonder what else he'd deleted, so he walked over to Barricade, fully intending to demand that she tell him everything.

Instead, the femme nodded for him to sit next to her. Using her holoimager, she projected the streaming information feed so that he could view it as well.

They watched for many astro hours, the time flying by as the resurrection and subsequent Decepticon defeat occurred. As the Autobots regrouped, the information stream ended. They were both quiet for a long, long time….

"Who's the other double agent?" Sun finally asked. His voice broke the stillness of the desert night air, causing the snakes who had taken refuge underneath them to slither away in surprise…

"What do you mean?" Barricade's optics tracked a shooting star. For a brief moment she wished that the fleshlings were correct in their belief of 'wishing'. She could sure wish for a million things right now. But wishing was illogical, thus had no place in one's processor.

"There's only one way you could so boldly come back to the cons and rescue me. And there's only one way you got that feed." He turned to her, his optics gleaming in accusation. "You aren't the only Decepticon double agent. You've got help."

He was sharp, very sharp. Barricade logged in that fact within her meta. She would have to choose her words carefully around him. "You are correct."

"So, you gonna tell me who he is? Or is it another hidden femme?" After dealing with one hidden con femme, Sunstreaker wouldn't be surprised if another was still working right under Megatron's olfactory sensor.

"Negative on both counts," Barricade stated in a flat tone.

Ok, so she was protecting the other mech. Why? Was he working for the Autobots – or someone else. "Ok, I can understand why you won't identify the mech. Just tell me – is he for or against us?"

"Define 'us'," she turned her head to him as she asked this.

"Autobots, duh."

"He could care less what happens to either faction." She turned back to looking at the sky.

"Ok, let's rephrase that. Is he working for the femmes?" Sunstreaker drummed his digits on his knee armor as he thought about it.

"Affirmative. He is the only reason we survive." Barricade leaned back on her hands. She saw a satellite blinking far overhead. The satellite that the femme's hidden protector was curled around. Silent…. Watchful… Planning for the future….

Ok, so this mystery mech must be pretty well-connected within the Decepticon ranks. Sunstreaker could go with that. "Does he at least have some kind of code name or something?"

"The One," she answered. Leaning forward, she curled her arms around her bent legs and set her chin on them. "Are you truly loyal to me Sunstreaker?"

"I gave you my oath. Even though it was gotten through deception – I'll stand by it," he nodded.

Turning her head, she met his brilliant optics. They shown like blue moons in the darkness of the planet's night cycle. "Would you go against Autobot opinions – if it meant the ultimate survival of our species was ensured?"

"You're talking opinions not orders – right? Like if Ironhide hated your servos and I told him to kiss my rubber." Sunstreaker had to make sure that she didn't mean for him to leave his faction. He wasn't about to do anything that drastic. But infighting – heck, he was used to that.

"Affirmative." Barricade went over the streaming video file again, her optics following the form of Chromia. A femme who could destroy well-laid plans….

"Guess so." He studied her for a moment, "take it that there is an Autobot that you don't get along with – that I should know about?" He dared to set a hand on her door wing, it felt strange to do so. Strange to think of Barricade as a free femme who had chosen him… Yet she had… She was strong… The sparklings they had together would be smart, crafty and strong – he just hoped they'd take more after him in the appearance department. He'd hate to have a son that looked like her – no offense…

She sighed as she felt his digits on her sensitive door wing. It was such a dream come true, that she still couldn't truly believe that she wasn't defragging sometimes. How much should she confide in him? How much should she trust him? She felt the need to finally connect with a mech on the most basic levels. Felt the need to actually trust someone. Maybe Sunstreaker was that mech? After all, he had proven to be trustworthy – even when he'd hated her tail pipes. Surely now that he'd accepted her as mate – his loyalty was that much stronger. "Chromia," she answered.

"That bitch?!? Geese, I've heard stories about her chasing Ironhide around with a laser cannon. Don't worry about her not liking you – no one really likes HER," he snickered.

"That's not what concerns me." She leaned back into him as he shifted so that he sat behind her. It felt so wonderful to be relaxed around a mech. To be trading information – not insults.

"So what's the issue?" He ran his digits over her chassis, admiring the way the starlight gleamed off its well-polished surface. Yes, his work on armor was so beautiful! He should get an award or something for making her look this good.

Shifting so that more of her weight leaned back against him, Barricade let her hands drift down to rest on each of his legs which were on either side of her. Unlike Frenzy, she'd always dreamed of having a true bond mate. A bond mate that would stand at her side, whom she could confide almost anything to… _Ensure that he will never use the information against us _the One whispered inside her meta. Like always, he was forever watchful.. Forever aware of what happened within each faction through the femmes.

"What I'm going to tell you, primarily concerns the femmes not the mechs, do you understand? Femmes care little about which faction ultimately wins the war. Our focus is to work towards an equal status with mechs." Barricade's deep femme tone flowed out over the barren landscape, unknowingly echoing past and present human female leaders. The emotion and want was a universal goal, regardless of species – all females desired to be valued as equals by their chosen mates.

Wrapping his arms around her chassis, Sunstreaker set his chin on top of her helm. "Even after what Megatron has done – you don't care? That doesn't make sense."

Barricade chuckled. "Megatron is but one mech amongst many. Eventually his rein will end, most likely by the gun of the one he believes is his own son."

His optics gleaming at the thought of the tyrant being shot in the back by one of his own, Sunstreaker snickered. "Starscream I assume. So if Megatron believes he is his son – then by the tone of your voice I can tell he's incorrect. That's sweeeeet." He tapped a digit on her abdominal armor. "So who's the real son?"

"There is no male heir, only femme." Barricade's optics gleamed in the darkness as she spoke, for the first time in her long life someone besides the One would hear the truth.

"That's even better," Sunstreaker smirked, "did the One switch sparklings at birth?"

"Affirmative, Megatron would have killed a femme sparkling. Regardless of her parentage. The One took Megatron's daughter and hid her within the ranks as a mech. But he trained her in secret."

"So who is it? Is Frenzy or you this daughter – or is she still hidden?" Sun thought it was truly hysterical that Megatron only let Starscream live BECAUSE he thought the freager was of his spark. No wonder their relationship was so screwed up.

"You hold the daughter," Barricade whispered.

This got the golden one snickering sadistically. He now had Megatron's only offspring as his mate. Oh how sweetly ironic life was getting! No wonder the femme was so slaggin' smart and conniving. "He, he, he – if Megatron only knew I was slaggin' his daughter!" he snickered as he fell back onto the dusty ground in spasms of laughter.

Well, he was taking the news better than 'Cade had hoped. Turning around, she watched him as he shrieked in laughter at the whole situation. He seemed to value her even MORE now that he knew part of her bloodline. What would he think when he learned who her mother had been? She waited patiently for him to stop laughing.

Slowly, his laughter ceased and he sat up. Holding his hands out for her to grab, he gave her a huge slag-eating grin. "Did I mention that you're totally MINE now?" he quipped.

She nodded, a smile gracing her face plate. "That's not all Sun, you would know of my mother as well."

"Another shocker I'm sure," he snickered. But he cocked his helm and gave her his full attention.

"Optimus only found pieces of Elita One and assumed her off lined…." 'Cade began.

"You don't even have to say it. I get the picture." Sunstreaker shook his head in wonder at the complexity of it all. "His brother obviously got hold of her – and you were the result."

"Affirmative." She was very pleased to have chosen a mech this intelligent.

"Didn't make it after having you?" he inquired.

"Again, you are correct. She begged for death, the One honored her wishes after promising to train her femme sparkling in the ways of the femmes." Barricade was a little sad, but life with the cons as a femme back then was worse than death, so she understood. It took a strong femme to seek death like that. Her mother had been that strong.

"Boy, this One sure is into everything. So why is he so interested?" Sunstreaker leaned back on his hands, looking up into the night sky. The mystery mech definitely had a long-term goal, and he was sure that Barricade knew what it was.

"To return the Primes to their former glory, through carefully planned crossing of the two surviving lines." There, it was out in the open. It would be anyways once the Autobots rejoined with them. Chromia would take one look at her and go ballistic, they'd all know then.

Sunstreaker shot her a confused look. "But there's only one Prime left. And I don't think Megatron would be considered the other."

"Negative, they are brothers. Thus, they are of the same spark line."

"Ok," he paused for a moment, "So who's the mystery mech from a different Prime spark line?"

"The One," she answered simply. Meeting his optics, she squeezed his hand. "Frenzy is his daughter. Chromia happens to be her mother. The Autobot femme escaped prior to delivery in an attempt to destroy the sparklings."

"She…. She tried to kill her own sparklings?!?" Sun pulled his hand from her grasp in disbelief.

"Chromia could not accept that a Decepticon mech was actually working towards the survival and balancing of our species. She refused to accept it. Refused to willingly mate. In her blindness and rage, she sought to destroy his plans." Barricade's voice filled with sadness, if the strong femme had only agreed to it all – she'd have been allowed to 'freely' escape. Instead, the One had hunted her down and believed that he had off lined her. To protect Frenzy and Rumble, he had altered their memories concerning their own birth.

"Hmmm, so she's REALLY going to go ballistic when she sees you," Sunstreaker mumbled as he rubbed his chin. A femme on femme fight could be very entertaining for the mechs to watch. Perhaps he could throw some mud over them, make it even more interesting. But then a thought struck him. "Slag! Frenzy's already pregnant by Optimus!"

"Affirmative. She should be delivering any moment now," Barricade nodded.

Sunstreaker stood up, beginning his normal pacing as he thought. "So the Prime lines have already been crossed." He stopped and looked at Barricade. "We can't leave her by herself – the sparkling might off line her during the birth!"

"She is attended to by many. She is secure."

"Who?" he demanded to know.

Barricade ticked them off on her digits. "Beachcomber, Wheeljack, First Aid, Prowl and the Ancient Autobot gestalt known as the Technobots. There are also six younglings with them. Ratchet's two daughters, and four drones."

"And no one can find them? Are you sure about that?" He was a little more relaxed now that he knew Prowl was in charge of keeping her safe. The mech WAS a prick, but he was a heck of a tactician and planner. "But what about energon? The sparklings must be fed."

"Where they are hidden, raw energon is plentiful. The sparkling Primes will grow rapidly and become strong," she assured him.

"Primes? She's carrying more than one?"

"Computron confirmed that she's the mother of the trine."

"The trine? Like in the legend Prime trine?" Everyone knew the legend. Three brother Primes would restore the species back to their former glory.

"Affirmative."

He smacked himself in the helm. Every mech warrior had dreamed of seeing the cycle come of the rise of the legend. And here he was on the front lines of it! But part of that legend included a subset of femme Primes. "So where's the femme leaders?" he asked 'Cade.

She smiled up at him. "To become a Prime, you must first carry the spark line inside you, then you commit an act of selflessness in order to help one in need." She stood up, facing him. "I carry the line, and I performed the necessary deed. My daughters and I shall be the subset."

His mouth dropped open and he stepped back in shock. He was not only mated to Megatron's daughter – but a hidden sub-Prime. His offspring would all have the chance to earn their place as full Primes if they were mechs! It was almost more than he could handle. "Are you…"

"Pregnant? No, I do not think we were successful in our first attempt." Barricade was a tad sad about that, but sometimes a single interfacing of sparks was unsuccessful. That was the primary reason Frenzy had made sure to mate with a mech almost every astro hour for three Earth rotation cycles. It ensured that she would become impregnated.

He held his hand out to her. "I guess before we go and track down the rest of the Autobots, we should change that?" he offered.

Accepting his hand, she allowed him to pull her into his arms. "That is an acceptable plan."

As the flaming orb of the Earth system's Sun slowly rose over the horizon, two robotic entities sank to the ground and combined their sparks in the hope of creating new life….

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_Ok, only one short chapter to go on this book, and then I'll link it to book 3: Matter of Prime… But I'm slammed at work – so it could be a month… Just warning you…_

_If you enjoyed/alerted – please leave a comment/review. I'm not sure how many of you are still actually following this tale…_


	10. Chapter 10

Matter of Pride part 10

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"You wanna try something new?" Sunstreaker asked as he pasted the sexiest most inviting grin across his face plate that he could. He wished he'd tried out some ugly con femmes back when he was a gladiator, for Barricade was proving to be a femme willing to try – and think up – some wild ways for interfacing sparks. Much more satisfying than Bot femmes who were scared as hell to! He'd so missed out on some serious fun back then…

Scanning the area outside of the old mining tunnel to satisfy her need to ensure their security, Barricade glanced back at him. Her ragged dental plates gleamed as she returned his smile. Sure, Frenzy had had some fun electrocuting, restraining and forcing her mates to interface – but that femme was sure missing out. An eager and willing mech was far more interesting.

Sun had learned that the flash of her smile meant that she was agreeable, so he chuckled and stretched a bit. "Well, when you're done with your scans – be ready for some more action." Knowing she would be, he turned away from her in order to get himself 'ready' as well. Activating his transfer, he pulled a clip out of his subspace. Positioning it in just the right spot along his length, he slipped it through two slots and secured it. Then he laid back and stroked himself as he watched his femme doing her security job. Life was grand – heck he just got laid all rotation cycle and didn't even have to work! Nice having an ugly wench that worshipped the ground he drove on.

Finished with her scans, Barricade turned and came back in. Seeing his new setup – she cocked her helm in curiosity.

"Wondering 'bout this?" he teased as he fingered the clip.

She reclined next to him and nodded.

Rolling onto his side, he chuckled a bit. "While back, Side's figured out that if you clip the mechanism in just the right spot, it won't retract automatically."

Reaching down, she fingered the clip before she proceeded to take his transfer away from his own hand. "So we'll remain spark connected?"

"Yeah, should work the same way femme-to-mech as mech-to-mech don't you think," he quipped, his own hands beginning to wander on her chassis. It was so great to have a femme so bold as to take a mech's transfer as hers! His engine began to hum as desire mounted…

"Ensuring spark creation," she whispered as she nibbled on his helm, "you are a truly exemplary mech." Her voice rose to a low purr, her chassis warming as her spark surged with excited anticipation…

"Of course," he agreed. He loved these compliments… Loved them above all else! He slipped his digits inside her as her panel slid open. "And you are the best lay I've ever had." For once in his long existence – he was being straight up honest to a femme on that account! Even if she was the ugliest one he'd ever done…. Well, it was easy to off-line the optics during mating – now wasn't it?

"Because I enjoy experimentation?" Her grip became a bit more firm on his transfer, her strokes more bold. She nipped the thin metal covering of his neck servos hard enough to cause energon to slowly drip from the damage….

His optics threatened to roll back in his cranial unit from that delicious bite! His engine revved hard as he almost overloaded right then-and-there! "Primus you're fraggin' insane!" he moaned….

Taking that as a 'yes', Barricade smirked as she took his lips. Her leg went over his as she rolled onto her side, allowing his transfer to slide deep into her chassis. Sparks merged in a blistering wave of fiery energy as processors shut down…..

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_Final book to this trilogy is at: http : // www . fanfiction . net /s/ 5389301 / 1/ Matter_of_Prime_


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